Learning to Love
by bby adorkable
Summary: COMPLETE! Yamcha has broken Bulma's heart on Prom night and she's never dated since. Can Vegeta help Bulma learn to love again?
1. Prologue

A/N : this is my very first fanfic , yay! So please be nice and review :

Disclaimer : don't own DBZ duh

Prologue

Senior Prom

The senior year had gone by so quickly and Orange Star High was bustling with excitement. The dance committee worked overtime to create the perfect senior prom. Everyone was worried about their prom date or the perfect outfit. Everyone except Bulma Briefs. The blue-haired heir to Capsule Corp had other things on her mind. Her parents had left for a business trip and everyday grew busier as numerous companies called Bulma to schedule meetings and make business deals. For once, Bulma was grateful to be rich. He dress had already been picked out and her date, Yamcha, her steady boyfriend, was perfect. Bulma lounged back on the couch in her room. She had a short moment to relax and decided to take full advantage of it. Bulma closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift towards her friends. Chichi and 18, her two best friends in the world. They were always around when Bulma needed them to be. There was also Goku, Chichi's loving boyfriend. He was child-like and goofy and often caused trouble. Krillen, Goku's best friend, was dating 18. They made a strange, but cute couple. Then, there was Vegeta, the bad boy. No girl lasted more than a week with him, and Bulma often wondered why all the girls went after him. Sure, he was good looking, but Vegeta possessed a menacing aura that frightened Bulma. He wasn't all bad, for Bulma had seen a gentler side of him. Just once.

The telephone's ring pulled Bulma out of her thoughts. Since companies called everyday, the telephone's ring became a great annoyance. Bulma sighed and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she mumbled.

"Bulma?" Chichi's excited voice questioned.

"Oh, hey Chi! I'm so glad it was you who called", Bulma said, a grin creeping onto her face.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be busy all the time. When are your parents returning anyways?" Chichi asked.

"Uh, in two days. Same night as prom".

"Prom! That's what I called about! I still don't have anything to wear!"

"Really? I thought everyone picked out something months ago!" Bulma said, surprised.

"Just you, B-chan. Not everyone is a rich genius", Chichi joked.

"Geez, Chi. You know what? I'll take you shopping today. Come over", Bulma offered.

"Great! See you in a while", Chichi replied. Bulma smiled and hung up the phone. She would take a day off today. She deserved it.

Prom night finally arrived and everything was going great. The 3 girls stayed at Bulma's house, readying themselves for the prom. "I'm so excited!" Chichi squealed, picking up her soft-pink dress and twirling it.

"You'll be late if you keep fooling around", 18 commented dryly. Her pale orange dress had already been put on and her short blond hair was in curls.

"Come on, Chi. Go change already", Bulma urged, combing her hair into a bun.

"Take it off. It doesn't work for you", Chichi replied, motioning towards the bun. Bulma frowned at her reflection then let down her hair.

"I think you should curl it", 18 suggested, pulling out lip gloss from her bag. Bulma frowned again and ran a brush through her sleek, blue hair.

"Or just leave it down", Chichi said, stepping out of the room with her dress. She waltzed into Bulma's restroom and locked the door behind her.

"I think I'll curl it", Bulma said to herself as she pulled out a curling iron. 18 leaned over Bulma's shoulder and glanced at herself in the mirror.

"Perfect", she murmured to herself.

"It's amazing how you get ready so fast. Almost as if – ", Bulma frowned as she was cut off by the doorbell.

"I bet it's the guys!" Chichi called as she stepped out of the restroom.

"But we're not ready!" Bulma panicked.

"Only because you two are slow. I'll get it", 18 said, walking down the stairs. She pulled open the large double doors of Capsule Corp and smiled. There stood Krillen, Goku, and Yamcha, each holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Goku stepped in first and headed for the kitchen. 18 rolled her eyes as she let the other guys in. "Where's Vegeta?" 18 asked, looking around.

"Right here", a voice growled. 18 looked over Yamcha's shoulder and saw Vegeta with a slutty girl clinging to his arms. The girls bright orange hair annoyed 18 and she noticed her gaze was set on Yamcha.

"These are for you", Krillen said, handing his flowers to 18. She bent down and planted a kiss on his cheeks.

"I'll go get the girls", Yamcha offered, looking uneasily at Vegeta.

"Uh, they're not ready yet", 18 said, pulling him away from the stairs. She walked up the stairs and let herself into Bulma's room. To the blonde's surprise, her two best friends were completely ready. Dress, hair, make-up, even accessories.

"We can be fast too", Chichi said with a wink. 18 shrugged and the three girls walked downstairs.

"You look great, Bulma!" Yamcha commented, picking Bulma up and twirling her around. The orange haired girl made a face and Vegeta growled, looking away.

"Goku!" Chichi yelled, smacking him on the head. "How can you eat right now?" Goku grinned sheepishly and put odnw the fries he found in Bulma's kitchen. Chichi sighed and gave him a hug.

"Let's go already!" The orange haired girl whined.

"Alana?" Bulma questioned, looking at the girl.

"Duh", she replied with a smirk. Bulma groaned. She hated Alana more than anything. Alana always picked on Bulma when they were younger and she became the sluttiest girl in high school.

"Not a surprise. Alana and Vegeta", Bulma mused.

"Shut up!" Vegeta glared at her. Bulma ignored him and looped her arm around Yamcha's.

"Let's go", she said to the others, and they left the house.

"Dance music, flashing lights, and beautiful decorations crowded the gym at Orange Star High. Bulma stepped excitedly out of the limo, followed by Yamcha, Goku, and Chichi. Her other friends had already arrived in the limo before them. "Let's go already!" 18 said, pulling Krillen behind her. Chichi and Goku followed eagerly and Bulma went after them, hand in hand with Yamcha.

"Come on, Vegeta", Alana whined, pulling him towards the dance floor.

"Don't tell me to 'come on', woman", Vegeta said angrily.

"Don't forget I'm paying you for this!" Alana said, dragging Vegeta towards the dance floor. He growled and pulled back.

"I- don't- dance", he spat at her. Alana sighed. Getting a bad boy to compromise was not easy.

Meanwhile, Bulma and all her friends were having a blast. Goku had gone off to the food table, so Chichi went off with Bulma. Yamcha had disappeared, and 18 and Krillen were together.

"Where did Ya-chan go?" Chichi asked Bulma. The blue haired girl shrugged and continued enjoying herself. Chichi looked around and spotted Yamcha heading for the restroom. She figured this was pretty normal and decided to ignore it.

Yamcha leaned against the wall next to the restrooms and searched the crowd. Where was Alana? Suddenly, a mess of orange curls appeared beside Yamcha and he smiled slyly. "Let's get away from all this", Alana whispered to Yamcha. He eagerly agreed and they headed out the door.

Vegeta looked around him and noticed Alana was nowhere to be seen. He felt he couldn't care less and joined Goku.

"Hey Vegeta!" Goku greeted with a grin, "Where's Alana? Shouldn't she be with you?"

"What about your little girlfriend?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow. Goku pointed to the middle of the dance floor where a circle had formed. Bulma and Chichi were dancing in the center with everyone else watching them. Vegeta's eyes trailed over to Bulma and he watched, hypnotized, as she moved seductively. He was getting turned on and felt disgusted by it.

"Vegeta?" Goku said, holding up a glass of punch. Vegeta ignored him and continued watching BUlma. She was nothing more than an annoying sister-like figure to him. Someone who he couldn't stand, yet couldn't live without. Vegeta forced him self to turn back to Goku, but found that he was no longer there.

"What the - ?" Vegeta looked around and spotted Goku in a corner of the room. Bulma and Chichi stood beside him with a worried look. Vegeta quickly glanced back at the center of the dance floor, but there was no longer a circle there. A short man wearing a black suit approached Bulma and handed her a small envelope. Vegeta watched from a distance and she opened it and promptly burst into tears. Chichi reached over to hug her best friend, but Bulma darted out of the room. Immediately, Goku and Chichi went after her, followed by Krillen and 18. Vegeta frowned, but decided to go after them.

Bulma collapsed to the floor, burying her head in her arms. Chichi picked up the envelope and read the note silently. Her face turned pale and the crumpled piece of paper slipped out of her hands. Chichi slumped to the floor beside Bulma and hugged her best friend tightly. Goku picked up the note and read it out loud to Krillen, 18, and Vegeta, who had just arrived.

"Miss Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corporation, we are sorry to inform you that at 5 pm this afternoon, the plane your parents boarded has crashed. There were no survivers".

"Her parents are – gone?" 18 sat down on the other side of Bulma and looked up blankly at Goku. Krillen looked down sadly and Goku did the same. Vegeta wanted to say something, but the words were caught in his throat.

"I'm going home", Bulma said softly, standing up.

"We're coming too", Chichi stated. Bulma made no reply and began walking towards the limos. The group passed by a row of bushes when Goku suddenly froze. "What's that noise?" he wondered aloud. Vegeta stopped to listen and spotted bright orange hair behind a bush.

"Stay here", he ordered. As he approached the bush, a disgusting sight met his eyes. There on the grass was Yamcha and Alana sprawled out, almost naked, all over yeah other.

"Uh- Hey Vegeta", Yamcha said nervously. Vegeta shook his head in disgust and walked back to the group.

"Don't go there", he said, shaking his head.

"Why?" 18 asked.

"Just don't", Vegeta said, slightly annoyed. Bulma looked at him suspiciously and walked to the bush, followed by Chichi. A scream escaped into the air as Bulma pounced on Alana and smacked her in the face. Immediately, Yamcha had Bulma pinned to the ground.

"Get off her!" Chichi screamed, pulling Yamcha's hair. Before he had a chance to react, Yamcha was shoved to the ground by Vegeta. Goku took this chance to pin Alana's arms behind her back while 18 watched in surprised.

"Yamcha?" Bulma asked in a timid voice. A part of her refused to believe this was happening, but she knew there was no escaping the truth.

"You weren't good enough for him!" Alana screamed, struggling against Goku's tight grip.

"Bulma! I can explain!" Yamcha whined. Bulma studied him for a while, as if deciding to listen to him or not. Finally, with a single tear leaking out of her eyes, she opened her mouth to speak. "No, no you can't"

She walked off towards the limos, shaking her head sadly. Goku quickly dropped Alana to the ground and ran after her. Chichi and 18 stood stunned for a moment, then ran after her too, followed by Krillen and Vegeta.

The group rode in silence back to Bulma's house. When they arrived, Bulma hurried into her house and closed the door behind her, letting no one in. "Bulma!" Chichi called out.

"I'm fine!" Bulma replied, leaning against her door. Her head was spinning as she quickly clicked the lock. "I'm fine", she repeated quietly to herself. Bulma stumbled up the stairs into her room and collapsed on her bed. She could hear her friends coaxing her to open the door, but she ignored them all. Bulma hugged a pillow close to her and sobbed.

"Stop making that noise", a voice growled in her room. Bulma screamed and jumped up, finding herself face to face with… Vegeta?

"How did you get - "

"Shhhhh", Vegeta sat down on Bulma's bed and pulled the girl into his lap. His actions surprised the both of them, but neither made a comment. Vegeta sat in silence as he listened to Bulma's sniffles. The sounds of car doors told him the others were leaving.

"Vegeta?" Bulma's voice came out shakily. He grunted in response and tightened his arms around Bulma. "Vegeta, am I really not good enough for him?"

"Don't listen to that bitch"

"But she and Yamcha - "

"Stop thinking about him"

"You didn't answer my question"

"What question?"

"If I was really not - "

"You're perfect", he whispered, kissing her on the cheek.


	2. ch 1

A\N : OKAE! First chapter after the prologue. It'll get better after here.

Thanks for those reviews. I've read other people's fanfics forever, but I never realized how awesome it was to read reviews other ppl put for you.

Disclaimer : DBZ not mine, although I wish it was

Reunion

A 22-year old Bulma Briefs sat down tiredly on a chair. Her college books were piled high beside her and a cup of coffee rested in her hands. She glanced out the window, wondering what her friends were doing at the moment. She had not seen anyone since High School ended and often missed her friends. Bulma's thoughts drifted to the night of her senior prom, her painful breakup with Yamcha, and Vegeta. Yes, Vegeta. His simple kiss of the cheek was nothing more than a way to comfort her, yet Bulma felt it everyday.

"Bulma!" a tall blonde greeted, sitting down across from the blue haired girl.

"18!" Bulma gasped in surprised, snapping her head up.

"Hm, haven't seen you in a while", 18 replied with a smile.

"Well, you know, I've been busy", Bulma said, resting a hand on her books.

"Busy with… school? Bulma, a genius like you couldn't possible need all that time. What else have you been doing? Dating?" 18 asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Bulma looked at her blankly.

"You know, dating. Dating? With guys?" 18 said.

"I-", Bulma fell silent and shook her head.

"You haven't gone out after Yamcha?" 18 asked, surprised.

"Oh, uh, actually… no" Bulma admitted.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I had to ask", 18 said apologetically.

"It's fine. What about you and Krillen?"

"We're still steady"

"That's great! You know, I really miss everyone", Bulma sighed, looking out the window again.

"Let's call up Chi", 18 suggested. She pulled out her cell phone and Bulma smiled eagerly.

"Hello?" Chichi's voice came on the line. Noise erupted from both girls as they huddled around the phone.

"Bulma? 18?"

"Who else?" Bulma squealed, unable to say anything else. 18 rolled her eyes and pulled the phone out of Bulma's hands.

"Hey Chi. Bulma's so excited to hear from you, she's going crazy", 18 said.

"Yeah, sounds like that", Chichi laughed.

"Anyways, I was thinking we could have some sort of reunion or something", 18 suggested.

"Yeah! That'd be awesome!" Chichi agreed enthusiastically.

"I can call up Krillen", 18 offered.

"Goku's right here. I'm sure he could find Vegeta", Chichi said.

"Let's have it soon. I've been so bored these last few weeks", 18 replied.

"At my house! We could do it at my house! Today!" Bulma suggested.

"Chi, got time today? Bulma says today at Capsule Corp", 18 relayed the message.

"Today? I've got time. Let me go get Goku", Chichi set down the phone for a moment and hurried into her kitchen. "Goku? We're going to Bulma's today. Can you find Vegeta?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. He was coming over anyways, Goku replied. Chichi smiled an returned to the phone.

"Count us in", she said. Bulma and 18 cheered eagerly and the girls said their goodbyes.

"I'll call Krillen", 18 said, dialing a number on her phone. Bulma sat patiently and waited as 18 arranged for Krillen to be picked up. "I can't wait to see everyone!" 18 exclaimed after hanging up the phone. Bulma agreed with a smile and sipped her coffee. "Let's go pick up Krillen. Then we can head to Capsule Corp." 18 suggested after a moment of silence.

"Sure", Bulma said, standing up. She pulled her books off the table and quickly paid for the coffee. The two girls walked out of the café, turning many heads along the way.

"Bulma!" Chichi greeted as she jumped out of the car, followed by Goku and Vegeta.

"It's been so long!" Bulma said, hugging the raven-haired girl.

"It's so hot outside!" 18 said randomly, looking longingly at the door of Capsule Corp.

"There's AC inside", Bulma replied, letting everyone in. The group trailed in after her, filled with excited chatter.

A large soda bottle laid on its side, a trickle of sprite leaking out from it. Bulma sighed and leaned back on the couch, resting her head on Chichi's shoulder. Goku followed the heiress' example and rested his head on Chichi's opposite shoulder. He yawned and stuffed a cookie in his mouth. 18 glared at him and shook her head in disgust. Goku looked to Krillen for help, but Krillen simply shrugged.

"I'm so sleepy", Bulma moaned, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"Yeah. Who knew seeing everyone again would wear me out?" Chichi muttered.

"It was just your talking", Goku said lightly, reaching for another cookie.

"So you must be tired from eating, then", Vegeta said to Goku sarcastically.

"C'mon you guys, I still have work tomorrow", 18 yawned. Krillen rolled over on his side and glanced at the nearby clock.

"Almost eleven. This used to be early when we were in high school. But, it really is time to go", he said thoughtfully.

"Where do you guys live?" Bulma asked curiously.

"Well, Goku and I stay at my dad's" Chichi replied.

"Krillen and I have our own apartment", 18 said.

"Vegeta?" Bulma looked up at the scowling figure.

"He um - " Goku quickly decided it was better not to speak and looked away. Bulma frowned and looked at Vegeta again.

"I have a place to stay ok?" He countered.

"But you- " Goku received a glare from Vegeta and shut up again.

"I told you, I'm good", Vegeta said, growing tired of this conversation.

"But Vegeta, you can't live there forever. You - "

"Shut up! Fine, I live in the forest", Vegeta said, glaring at Goku again. Bulma burst out laughing at this, but everyone else remained serious.

"How can you live in the forest? What about your family?" she finally managed to say.

"They died". This shut Bulma up at once.

"They died? Vegeta, are you serious?" Bulma asked, her eyes opening wider. Vegeta nodded and looked away. "Vegeta, you know, you can stay here", Bulma offered.

Vegeta grunted, but nodded. His expression softened.

"Well", 18 said with a yawn, "everything is settled. Let's go".

The group trailed out the door, leaving behind a silent Bulma and Vegeta.

Wow ! I had late start for school today … school starts at 9:30, so I got my lazy ass up and typed this chapter. Hope you guys like it!


	3. ch 2

A/N: ok, I wrote this story (yes, I actually **wrote** it with pencil and paper) a while ago, but I didn't finish it. So now, I'm finishing it and typing it up too so I can post it.

It's gonna get better after a while cause I write better now than I did before :

"Tonight?"

"No, in a million year! Of course tonight!"

"Oh, I thought… "

"And you're supposed to be a genius?" Chichi twirled the ends of her long black hair and leaned against the wall.

"Well, come over soon ok?" Bulma said.

"Sure. See you in a while", Chichi hung up the phone and hurried up the stairs. She found Goku in front of the TV with two large bags of chips.

"Come on! We're going to Bulma's", Chichi said, turning off the TV.

"Why?" Goku asked, looking up.

"Clubbing. Tonight. Yes, there will be food", Chichi smiled. Goku immediately agreed and the couple got into their car.

"Oh, this is just like prom night!" Chichi said in a dreamy voice as she dug through Bulma's huge, walk-in closet.

"Except Yamcha's not here", Bulma murmured softly, sitting down on her bed.

"Bulma, you have us, ok?" 18 said, sitting down beside her.

"What about Vegeta?" Chichi suggested. Bulma frowned at the idea, then shrugged. Vegeta? Her friends must be crazy! This was someone who demanded her to cook for him, yet was rarely there to eat it. Besides, he probably had several girlfriends at once.

"I can't believe you'd even suggest that!" Bulma finally said.

"Why not? You guys have similar personalities. You know… loud, likes to argue, often gets in trouble, always –" 18 stopped after receiving a glare from Bulma.

"Just forget about it, ok?"

"Well, I know what I'm wearing", Chichi announced, trying to change the subject. She picked up several items of clothing and held them up in the air.

"Cute", 18 commented, not bothering to even look at the clothes.

"Chi?" a knock came from the door. Goku poked his head in and grinned, "We were wondering if you girls were done yet".

"Patience!" 18 snapped. She pushed the door shut and sighed.

"Might as well hurry", Bulma said, pulling on her outfit. Moments later, all three girls were dressed and ready to party.

Bulma stepped out of the car followed closely by her group of friends. They made their way into the club and found a table.

"I can't believe I haven't gone clubbing in such a long time", Bulma noticed, leaning her head back against her seat.

"That's why we're here", 18 shrugged.

"Vegeta's practically been living at clubs", Goku said, mouth full of food. Vegeta turned to glare at the taller male besides him, but made no comment.

"Let's go dance. We can't just sit here", Chichi said, pulling Bulma onto the dance floor. The three girls formed their own circle which soon attracted everyone else in the club.

"Shouldn't you two be watching you ladies?" Vegeta asked in a bored tone.

"Yeah", Goku said slowly as he watched two guys attempt to join Chichi.

"What about Bulma?" Krillen asked.

"Nothing to worry about. She's boy repellent. Hasn't gotten a date since she broke up with that loser"

"Loser! You wanna see loser? Look at yourself!" An angry voice behind the three males challenged. Vegeta turned to see who it was and cocked an eyebrow. There stood Yamcha and a short blonde girl clutching his waist.

"Don't waste you time on him", Vegeta said loudly to Goku and Krillen, who had both jumped to their feet. Yamcha sat down beside Vegeta and rolled his eyes. The blonde girl strutted away as Yamcha leaned in to speak.

"Look, Vegeta. I can tell you one thing for sure. Bulma likes to hang onto the past. It just so happens that she and I have had a great past. It takes me just like that to get her back", he snapped his fingers.

"Not my problem", Vegeta shrugged, looking away uneasily. Yamcha frowned and made his way to the dance floor, determined to prove him self. He quickly approached Bulma, who was surrounded by a large group of guys.

"Bulma! Hey- Dude, that's my lady, move your ass! Bulma!" Yamcha shoved aside several protesting guys until he finally reached Bulma. "Bulma, Baby!" Yamcha greeted the blue haired girl. She frowned at the sight of him and began walking away. Yamcha pushed a few people aside and chased after her. He finally caught up to her side and seized the girl by her waist, dragging her towards the exit.

Bulma's screams were drowned out by the loud music and no one seemed to notice she was gone. She spotted Chichi and 18 at the other end of the room and tried to call out to them, but couldn't make a sound. Yamcha had clamped one hand tightly over her mouth and had wrapped the other around her waist as he dragged her up to the second story balcony.

"Dammit bitch! Stop kicking me! I just wanna talk, ok?" Yamcha dropped the girl on the ground near a bench and sat down. "Can't we just talk?"

"Yes, we can talk", Bulma said finally.

"Look, I want us to get together again. It's been four years and I really miss you", Yamcha said in a sincere tone. Bulma sighed and looked up at him. "C'mon. I'll show you what you've missed out on", he continued, sliding an arm around her waist.

"You're still the same jerk!" Bulma yelled, pulling away from him. She stood up abruptly and began walking towards the stairs. Yamcha jumped up from his seat the grabbed her from behind.

"Wait, listen to me! I –", Yamcha never finished his sentence, for he was knocked back against the railing. Bulma picked herself up from the floor and found herself face to face with a scowling Vegeta.

"Vegeta?" she said dumbly, unable to say anything else.

"I knew it. You like her", Yamcha muttered weakly as he slowly stood up. Vegeta growled and kicked Yamcha in the side, causing him to stumble down the stairs. "Don't fall for him, Bulma! He'll break you to pieces in the end", Yamcha called out. He began limping down the stairs with Vegeta chasing after him. Yamcha escaped into a cab and Vegeta stopped.

"Vegeta! Hey!" Bulma hopped down the stairs and stopped at the sidewalk. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta turned and glared at her, then stepped into the next cab and slammed the door. Bulma looked at the ground sadly, and then walked back into the club. She sat down next to Goku and leaned against the chair.

"What happened?" Chichi asked, rushing over.

"Yamcha showed up. He said he wanted me back. Then Vegeta showed up and beat him up. Now they're both gone", Bulma said, ending in a frown.

"Bulma, you have to give it time. Things work out in the end. And I bet Vegeta and you will be together on day", Chichi said.

"What? You make it sound as if I like him!" Bulma protested.

"We sort of assumed you did", 18 admitted and Krillen nodded in agreement. Bulma didn't respond, but kept on replaying the scenes in her head. Did Vegeta really like her? Did she like Vegeta? Was it really obvious? So obvious that her friends could tell. That even Yamcha could tell, yet she couldn't? But how could she like him? It wasn't easy talking to Vegeta. All that came out from him were grunts, insults, and orders.

"I need to go home", Bulma announced. She slid off the seat, made her way out the door, and rode a cab home.

A\N: another chapter : wow, the reviews are making me really happy! I should review other people's stories more… hmmmm …

Ok, stay tuned !


	4. ch 3

A\N: I **just **posted the chapter before this… and now I'm starting to type up this one. Once again, I already have the story, but it takes a while to type

Disclaimer : don't own dbz : do we have to put this here?

Bulma Briefs sighed as she pulled a brush slowly through her soft blue hair. The phone beside her rang, causing the girl to jump. She picked up the phone and muttered a weak, "Hello?"

"Bulma!" a hyper voice greeted.

"Hey, Chi", Bulma responded automatically.

"Anyways, Goku was wondering if you've seen Vegeta lately".

"It's been the same thing for two weeks now. I set out the food, he eats the food. But I never see him!"

"You know, I'm surprised he's still sticking around", Chichi said thoughtfully, twirling the phone cord around her fingers.

"Yeah, knowing his ego, he should be gone by now", Bulma agreed dryly.

"I think he's just sticking around for you. Have you even looked for him?" Chichi asked.

"Not really", Bulma admitted quietly.

"Look, Bulma, I'm not telling you to do anything, but Goku misses Vegeta. Yeah, can you believe that? Anyways, I think its best you find him soon. And talk to him".

"Chi… I don't know", Bulma said slowly.

"It's driving Goku nuts, which is driving me nuts. And not seeing Vegeta is obviously hurting you. I never see you smile anymore", Chichi persuaded her friend.

"Alright. I'll go look".

"Call me back?"

Bulma agreed to do so and hung up the phone. She pulled on a silky white robe over her thin nightgown and tied her hair in a loose bun. As Bulma was about to open the door, a loud knock came from the other side. Startled, she quickly opened it to see Vegeta standing there, arms crossed, face set into a scowl.

"Vegeta? Oh, I was just – "

"I want to work", he said.

"What?" Bulma asked, unsure of what he had just said.

"Don't act stupid. I live here everyday. I want to pay for it".

"Well, I can… you know… uh, give you a job here", Bulma offered weakly.

"Shouldn't bosses be a little more demanding? What happened to you yelling voice?" Vegeta smirked.

Bulma shrugged, then closed the door in his face.

A\N : oh. **Wow**. That was so short that **I** didn't even like it. Ok… I wrote this chapter at least a year ago… so… hmmm, I dunno what I was thinking. But that's ok, cuz it just means I'll post it faster :


	5. ch 4

A\N: ok… next chapter

Disclaimer : its here. It'll always be here

The "in-between" chapter (because its so short)

"I'd better go now. Goku and Krillen are gonna tear up the house", Chichi said, looking over her shoulder.

"alright", Bulma replied. She hung up the phone and shivered. Why was it so cold? The blue-haired girl sighed and turned up the heater. She walked down the hall and wrapped a scarf around her neck. The snow fell steadily outside…

Bulma walked to the end of the hall and pushed open a door. A set of gleaming whit stairs led to the underground work station where all Capsule Corp business was taken care of in. She passed by several employees and smiled at them. Then, she continued walking until she reached a dark silver door. She pushed open the door and stepped in silently. The sight that met her eyes caused the girl to stop dead in her tracks.

On the floor lay Vegeta, wearing a white tank top, glaring at a machine. He worked diligently, focusing on a small part of the complicated engine.

Bulma leaned against the wall and watched silently. She had never seen this side of Vegeta and it shocked her to see what he was capable of.

"What?" he demanded, looking up.

"Uh… I…" Bulma was at a loss for words and began stuttering.

"If there's nothing to say, then just shut up", Vegeta rolled his eyes. Bulma frowned and remained in her spot. She watched as Vegeta continued working without the slightest trace of emotion. Finally, he looked up again.

"Woman, I'm hungry"

Bulma jumped at the sudden noise, the looked at him as if she didn't understand.

"I said, 'I'm hungry'"

"What do you want me to do about it?" she retorted.

"Cook"

Bulma's mouth dropped open and her eyes protested, but she sighed and exited the room. She stalked into the kitchen and prepared a quick lunch. Sitting down, Bulma ate her share of the food and left the rest for Vegeta.

She finished quickly, then headed for her room, not trusting herself to see Vegeta again.

A\N: sorry… short chapter… it's more like an in-between chapter… next one is a little longer… and the chapters after that are really really longer so… enjoy!


	6. ch 5

A\N: this chapter is definitely longer than the last one… so I guess its better

Disclaimer : don't own DBZ

Making Progress

A thin stream of moonlight shone through a crack in the curtains and over the figure of a slender, restless girl, tossing and turning in her bed. She pushed her aqua hair to one side and sighed. After a while, Bulma crawled out of bed and pulled on a thick bathrobe. She opened her balcony door and stepped out in to the cool night air. A chill swept over her and she shivered.

"Damn, it's cold", she muttered.

"Talking to yourself?" a voice asked. Bulma whirled around but didn't see anyone. She looked up at the roof and saw Vegeta sitting comfortably, dressed in a black jacked and pajama bottoms.

"What are you doing?" Bulma asked.

"Couldn't sleep", Vegeta shrugged.

"Same here", Bulma sighed. Vegeta hopped off the roof and landed smoothly beside Bulma. She looked ahead at the many lights from the city, trying to keep her eyes from wandering to him.

"It's a pretty sight", Bulma said to herself. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Bulma glared at him and sighed. "It reminds me of home", she continued.

"You **are **home", Vegeta replied.

"Vegeta", Bulma began softly, "home isn't just a … location. That would be your house. Home is with your loved ones. My… my mom and dad… I remember my mom used to buy my favorite cereal. Those little ones with the alphabet. I'd eat all the letters expect the ones that spelled Bulma… but that was over fifteen years ago", She looked up at Vegeta as he quickly looked away.

"What about you?" Bulma asked. Vegeta turned and gave her a weird look.

"What about me?"

"I- Well, don't you think about your family?"

"There isn't much to think about. Everyone's dead"

"But, doesn't that make you sad?"

Vegeta sighed at this question, then answered carefully, "Just because **you** can't see it doesn't mean I don't fell pain. But, I don't have to show that I feel it either"

Bulma was speechless for a moment as she allowed Vegeta's words to sink in. He had been hurting all along, just like her. But why did their pain feel so different? While Bulma had freely expressed all her emotions and received comfort from her friends, Vegeta had kept his sadness bottled up. Bulma shivered slightly, then felt a sudden warmth spread over her. She looked to her side and saw that Vegeta had draped his jacket over her, leaving him shirtless. She made no comment to this, but secretly enjoyed this new side of Vegeta.

"Is it warm enough?" Bulma asked, handing a blanket to Vegeta. He grunted and sat down on the sofa in Bulma's room. They'd just returned after half an hour of standing outside. During this short period of time, Vegeta spoke more words than Bulma had heard from him all her life. He told her of his childhood; his father abusing his mother, his younger sister's tragic death, and how eventually his left his aunt to die. Bulma had cried through most of it while Vegeta nonchalantly assured her he was used to everything. He insisted things weren't going to change, and there was no use in being sad about it.

Then, Bulma had invited him to spend the night in her room, believe it would be easier to fall asleep. Vegeta had accepted the large sofa in one corner of Bulma's room as well as several blankets. He settled in as Bulma took one last look at him, then crawled into her bed.

A/N: ok… so its longer than the last one… but its actually a lot shorter than most of the fanfics I've read… but the next one is going to be long. I promise XD

Please review!


	7. ch 6

A\N : yay! A long chapter !

Disclaimer : don't own dbz

Chapter six

"Vegeta?" Bulma called out as she grabbed her keys.

"What do you want?" a gruff voice replied.

"Oh, there you are. I'm going shopping with the girls. Please don't blow up the house while I'm gone."

"Stupid woman, I'm going out too"

"Ok, Bye!" Bulma replied, closing the front door behind her. She jumped in the car and drove off towards 18's house.

Vegeta paused at the window and watched as the "blue haired beauty" pulled out of the garage. She stuck her keys in the car and sped off. Vegeta frowned and walked off, heading for his room. He grabbed a towed, planning to head to the indoor pool outside of Bulma's house. After stuffing a cell phone, keys, and clothes into a bag, Vegeta pulled open the front door and stepped out.

He walked across the lawn towards a separate building about half a mile from capsule corp. Unaware of a male following him, Vegeta opened the door to the pool room. As he did so, a pair of fists reached out from behind and knocked him on the head. Vegeta dropped his bag and reached one arm behind his body, grabbing at whatever was there. Surprisingly, it turned out to be Yamcha, who'd come looking for Bulma but instead ran into Vegeta.

"What do you want?" Vegeta asked, annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Yamcha demanded.

"I'm swimming. Go away", Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"This is Bulma's house. That's private property", Yamcha defended.

"Yeah, and I live here", Vegeta said with a tone of sarcasm. Yamcha narrowed his eyes angrily and pounced on Vegeta, attacking him blindly. Vegeta responded immediately by pulling the weaker male off his back. Yamcha, unwilling to give up, hurried in for another attack.

Vegeta grabbed him and brought his knee up to meet Yamcha's stomach. He doubled over as Vegeta forced his elbow down against Yamcha's head, knocking him out.

"Stupid", Vegeta muttered. He glanced at the pool, then at Yamcha, and decided he didn't feel like taking a swim anymore. Pulling a jacked out of the bag, Vegeta walked off the Capsule Corp grounds and headed for the nearby park.

Bulma giggled as 18 stepped daintily out of the dressing room, wearing a baby blue dress. "That's so cute!" Chichi exclaimed.

"Everything is cute on me", 18 smiled.

"Except those", Bulma joked, pointing to men's section. The blonde's smile disappeared as she stalked across the store and pulled several items of men's clothing off the shelves. She stuck her tongue out at her friends and walked back into the dressing room.

"You really think she's going to - ?"

"Come on, Chi. You know 18. Besides, it'll be fun to watch", Bulma said, pulling out her camera. Chichi joined in and slipped out her sleek camera phone. Both girls were ready, lenses pointed at the door as 18 stepped out. Bulma managed to snap a photo as her mouth fell open and Chichi's phone slipped from the raven haired girl's hands. The blonde girl, with her model figure, looked gorgeous even in the baggy jeans and oversized t-shirt. She wore a baseball cap on her head with a few strands of blonde hair hanging out.

"Wow… you", Bulma stuttered.

"**Everything** looks great on me. What did I say?" 18 shrugged. The three friends burst into laughter and continued their shopping spree.

Several hours and hundreds of dollars later, Bulma and 18 had fallen asleep in the backseat while Chichi drove home, yawning along the way. The car pulled up into the driveway of Capsule Corp and Chichi hopped out. She opened the back door and poked Bulma in the stomach. The blue haired girl let out a squeal, causing her blonde friend to stir.

"Aw c'mon. Let's go", Chichi whined. Bulma stumbled out of the car, hands full of shopping bags. 18 followed her, dressed in the guys clothes she'd just bought.

"Let's go visit the pool", Chichi suggested, peeking into a big green bag. The girls had each bought a new swimsuit and wanted to try them out. Bulma agreed and the three girls headed to the pool room.

Vegeta sighed and leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. He felt confused, but mostly alone. Why did Yamcha show up? More importantly, why was he so bothered by Yamcha's appearance? After all, he had no relationship with Bulma. They were simply… the simply shared a house. Did he even like Bulma? No. Then why did he care so much? Vegeta sighed and stood up. He headed back for Capsule Corp, deep in thought as he walked.

"Vegeta!" Vegeta's head snapped up at the sound of his name. He spotted Goku poking his head out of a truck with Krillen at the wheel. Vegeta accepted a ride to Capsule Corp, but wondered why the guys were heading over.

"Bulma was freaking out. I've never heard her panic so much", Krillen said. Vegeta froze in his seat as he quickly thought about what could have happened to Bulma. The truck pulled into the Capsule Corp driveway and all three guys hurried out. Vegeta pulled out his keys and quickly unlocked the door. No one was around and the house was deadly silent.

"Chichi! Bulma!" Goku called out.

"18!" Krillen hurried up the stairs. Vegeta remained at the door, afraid to search. He didn't care so much about his own safety, but was worried about Bulma. What could have happened? Bulma was freaking out… that didn't seem like something happened to the girl herself. Maybe it was one of her friends… or… Yamcha! Vegeta suddenly remembered what had happened earlier and rushed out the door.

"Hey! Where's he going?" Goku wondered, running out the door. They reached the pool room and Vegeta shoved open the door. Bulma, who had been sitting numbly against the wall, shrieked and jumped up. Chichi frowned at this and 18 sighed. Goku hurried in after Vegeta into the room, his mouth dropping open. Vegeta seemed unbothered and leaned against the wall.

"This freaked you out?" He asked casually, glancing at Bulma. The girl nodded, but said nothing.

"What happened?" Goku wondered out loud.

"We came in here and just found him", Chichi replied.

"So Bulma freaked and called you", 18 said, adjusting her cap slightly.

"Who could have… done this?" Bulma finally asked.

"That idiot jumped on me, and he wouldn't leave, so I knocked him out", Vegeta said simply.

"You- Vegeta? You did this?" 18 asked in disbelief.

"Is it so hard to believe? Look at **you**. You're wearing clothes **I **could wear", Vegeta glared at the girl who made no reply. The group fell in silence.

"Well, I – we can't just leave him here", Bulma said with uncertainty in her voice.

"You knocked him out pretty good", Chichi commented, looking cautiously at Vegeta, who now had a smirk plastered over his face.

"What if he's really hurt?" Bulma said, looking worried. Vegeta frowned. The girl was unhappy? Did she think it was **his** fault? Vegeta rolled his eyes and sighed.

"He'll wake up. Just get some water", he said, motioning towards the pool. Goku pulled out a bucket from the nearby shelf and filled it with water. Vegeta yanked the bucket over and slashed the cool water over Yamcha's face. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the lights.

"Yamcha?" Bulma said, cautiously peeking at him.

"H-hey", Yamcha muttered weakly.

"What happened?" Chichi asked.

"Uh- He attacked me", Yamcha replied, pointing a finger at Vegeta.

"What are you talking about? You jumped me!" Vegeta shot back.

"What? Are you blind? Or did I hit you too hard?" Yamcha pulled himself up and advanced towards Vegeta.

"Stop! Please stop!" Bulma cried out frantically, stepping in between the two guys. She reached both arms out in front of her, pushing Yamcha away. Vegeta grabbed her around the waist, attempting to pull her out of the way. He had an issue to settle and the girl was simply interfering. Vegeta managed to yank Bulma back, but this allowed Yamcha to hit him in the face. Bulma screamed and Vegeta let go of her to block a punch. A third punch by Yamcha missed Vegeta completely and instead, landed on Bulma. She stumbled backwards onto Vegeta and Yamcha took this chance to slam Vegeta's head against the nearest wall. Blood trickled from under his head and slid down his neck. In an instant, Goku had Yamcha pinned against the opposite wall while Chichi and 18 rushed over to Bulma. Vegeta sighed and pushed the two girls out of the way. He picked up Bulma's limp form and carried her towards the house. 18 hurried after them while Chichi remained beside Goku.

"I can't believe you! Why'd you have to do that! You little - " Chichi's ranting was cut short by Goku, who held a finger to the girl's lips, then dragged Yamcha out of the room. Chichi muttered in protest, but followed Goku into the house. As they neared the front door, they were greeted by a worried Krillen, who had come down the stairs to find everyone missing.

"What happened? Why is- Why are they bleeding?" he asked. 18 quickly shushed him, then followed Vegeta up the stairs to Bulma's room. Chichi wordlessly followed, leaving Goku and Krillen to deal with Yamcha.

"C'mon you guys. You know me. I would never ever hurt Bulma", Yamcha pleaded.

"But you just did", Goku said.

"It was an accident", Yamcha protested. Goku seemed to find this excuse ok, but Krillen wasn't satisfied.

"So… was Alana an accident too?" Krillen asked.

"Who?" Yamcha looked at him blankly.

"Alana! You know… orange haired slut. Prom night?" Krillen glared at Yamcha, who had backed away.

"I... that…" Yamcha stuttered, but had nothing to say.

"Yeah, you really hurt her", Goku recalled.

"Aw, c'mon. That was before. I mean, we're all adults now, ya know", Yamcha gave a sheepish smile and fell silent.

"Bulma hasn't dated again", Goku said quietly.

"She… aw, did she miss me **that** much?" Yamcha asked sarcastically. He had a smug smile on his face that was quickly wiped out when an angry voice rang out from behind Goku.

"I can't believe you just said that! Do you think you've really changed? Bulma is on every man's most wanted list, but she turned them down! Because of **you**! You taught her to fear love, to hate the pain that comes with it. She's stayed away from it because **you** hurt her! Why can't you just leave her alone?" Chichi ranted, stepping closer to Yamcha with each angry word. Goku reached out and gently pulled the girl away from Yamcha. For such a small sized girl, she had a lot of power.

Yamcha looked away guiltily, then headed silently for the door. He stepped out into the cold night and turned around one last time. "Tell her I didn't mean to hit her", he said, then closed the door.

Upstairs in Bulma's room, Vegeta had laid the girl carefully on her bed. 18 concluded that Bulma was simply knocked out and would wake up in the morning. Unconvinced, Vegeta opted to stay in the room and watch Bulma. 18 had protested, but gave in to the stubborn male. She trudged down the stairs with a frown, but smiled weakly when greeted by Krillen.

"So, uh, how's Bulma?" Krillen asked.

"She'll be up tomorrow", 18 replied with a shrug.

"Well, uh, we should stay to… you know… make sure she's alright tomorrow", Chichi said. 18 understood that she didn't trust Vegeta to be alone with Bulma, and agreed.

"The rooms are this way", Chichi continued, walking up the stairs. They each settled into a guest room, ready to relax for the night.

The sky outside had become deathly dark, with a single ray of moonlight as the only source of illumination. Vegeta gripped the railing of the balcony outside Bulma's room and stared intently at the ground. He had been outside for a while now, and the cold wind pierced his flesh. Discovering that the physical pain numbed his mental pain, Vegeta had decided to stay outside. He was confused and angry, but now sure why he felt this way. He couldn't think of any real reason to be angry. SO, was he truly angry? Or maybe… jealous?

But, jealous of what? Jealous that Yamcha still played a role in Bulma's life after all these years. Jealous that she still care for him after he'd hurt her so badly. Vegeta rubbed his head and decided to go in. He stopped beside Bulma's bed and watched her for a moment. She looked peaceful, but every once in a while, the girl would turn her head and frown. Vegeta sighed and pulled a chair up next to the bed. He sat down and leaned heavily against it. After watching the sleeping girl for a while, Vegeta's eyelids slowly closed and he fell asleep.

A/N: thanks for the reviews! yay! **Long** chapter finally! Took me two days to type this up … and now I have to go get ready for this dinner gathering thing so... read and enjoy!... and review please!


	8. ch 7 part one

A\N: um… ok, I'm gonna stop using chapter titles cuz it's just impossible for me to manage. So… this is just going to be chapter seven.

Ok, there's gonna be this new character appearing, and personally, I don't like new characters. **But**… all this new character is really used for is her… house. Yeah, you'll get it after reading it so… enjoy!

Chapter Seven (part one)

The weather began warming up as spring arrived. Bulma raked her fingers through her aqua hair and gave a sigh of content. Her thing nightdress blew gently in the breeze as she stepped closer to the edge of her balcony. Behind her, Vegeta was relaxed in an armchair he had carried out to the balcony.

Two weeks had gone by since the "Yamcha incident", as Chichi had called it, and no one heard from him. Vegeta healed easily and soon returned to his normal lifestyle. He crossed his arms under his head as he reflected upon what had happened the morning when Bulma woke up.

He vividly remembered the shocked look on her face when she saw a blood covered Vegeta asleep on an uncomfortable chair beside her bed. She had jumped up to yell at him for not taking care of himself.

Then, she burst into tears and hopped out of bed, dragging Vegeta to the restroom. While she washed and bandaged his wounds, Bulma had yelled nonstop at Vegeta. She yelled at him for getting hurt, she yelled at him for not taking care of himself, she yelled at him for sleeping in a chair all night. Finally, she broke down and simply cried.

Through all this, Vegeta had stood there motionless, searching for the right words to say. He decided to keep quiet and allowed Bulma go cry until she felt satisfied.

"Vegeta?" Bulma turned around slowly.

"What?" Vegeta asked, not bothering to look up.

"Do you hear the phone? Or is it just - "

"I hear it", Vegeta said, standing up and walking into the house. He picked up the phone by Bulma's bed and held it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Vegeta?" the voice on the other end inquired.

"Woman! It's for you!" Vegeta called out, dropping the phone carelessly on the bed. Bulma picked up the phone, saying "Hello?"

"Bulma! It's me!"

"Oh, hey Chichi!"

"Ok, so anyways, there's this high school reunion party at April's house. You remember April?" Chichi asked.

"Uh… of course!" Bulma stuttered. April was a girl in Bulma's math class who she'd never talked to before.

"Anyways, it's tomorrow night. I forgot to tell you sooner", Chichi said.

"It's ok. I'll see you there", Bulma replied. Chichi agreed and both girls hung up.

"Vegeta? Vegeta?"

"What!"

"We're going out tomorrow!" Bulma said as she stepped out to the balcony.

"We're what?" Vegeta asked blankly.

"Uh, I meant… We're going out to a party. Reunion party", Bulma corrected.

"Oh", Vegeta mumbled, feeling slightly disappointed and awkward.

"You're coming right? I won't have any fun without you", Bulma shined. Vegeta rolled his eyes but agreed to go.

night of party

Bulma smoothed her skirt and glanced at herself one last time in the mirror. Ignoring Vegeta's calls to hurry up, she ran a comb thru her shiny hair. After applying a little lipstick, Bulma grabbed her purse and hurried down stairs.

"It's about time", Vegeta said, opening the door.

"I wouldn't look so nice if I didn't take so long", Bulma replied, noticing the way Vegeta looked at her. They climbed into a car and drove off.

"Vegeta, do you every… think of the people form high school?" Bulma asked after a moment of silence. Vegeta slid a hand around the steering wheel and glared at the girl next to him.

"Why do you always ask such stupid questions?"

"They're not stupid. I wanted to know. I mean, we are going to see everyone again", Bulma said, stressing the word "everyone".

Vegeta didn't answer, but thought carefully about what Bulma had said. Everyone. Everyone? So was Yamcha going? And… Alana?

"Vegeta? Are you listening to - "

"Be quiet, woman. We're here", Vegeta said, puling into a crowded driveway. The streetlights reflected off of dozens of cars parked along either side of the street. Bulma hurried out of the car, jogging slightly to keep up with Vegeta's long strides. He walked up to the opened door and stepped inside, followed by a breathless Bulma.

"Damn, Vegeta. You could have walked a little slo - " Bulma stopped abruptly as she digested the scene around her. The large living room she was in had beautiful glass walls. On the other side of those walls were mini waterfalls that led into a fountain. A bar sat in the corner of the room next to a huge sound system. On the opposite side of the room was a big, wide screen TV. A hallway beside the TV led to the bedrooms and the stairs to the second floor.

"Bulma!" Bulma turned her head and spotted Goku coming out of a room which apparently led to the kitchen.

"Hey, Goku! Hey Chi!" Bulma greeted as Chichi's small figure emerged from behind Goku.

"This is a really nice place", Bulma commented.

"Yeah, it's almost as nice as Capsule Corp", said 18 who had just arrived with Krillen.

"Hey", Bulma greeted her. 18 smiled back but made no reply.

"Hey you guys, I see April", Krillen said, pointing to a spot near the bar. The group trailed to the other side of the room and took turns complimenting April.

"Thanks so much", the shy girl would say.

"It's been a while", Bulma smiled. She felt guilty since she never spoke to April in school.

"Yeah, um, I have other guests that… "April gave a weak smile and slipped away.

"Let's get a drink", 18 suggested.

"Hey, uh, you guys, have you seen Vegeta?" Bulma asked.

"Nah, he's around", Chichi shrugged.

"You can worry about him later", Goku said. Bulma reluctantly agreed and the five young adults sat down for a drink. Bulma took a sip out of the glass and found the drink to be surprisingly addicting. Without another thought, she finished the entire glass and began working on her second one. The alcohol's effect began working quickly, and Bulma was soon her third glass.

"Bulma? Are you ok?" Chichi asked, looking worried.

"I'm ooookayyy", Bulma slurred. "I'ma gon findageta"

"She's what?" 18 asked.

"She's gonna find Vegeta", Krillen answered. Bulma slid off her seat and stumbled through the house, searching vaguely for Vegeta. She made her way around the perimeter of the house but found no sign of Vegeta. Bulma moaned and stumbled into the hallway. She searched frantically for a restroom and barged in the first one she came upon. After throwing up twice in the toilet, she stumbled out of the restroom. Low voices at the end of the hallway caught Bulma's attention and she began heading in the direction. The last door on the right had a small crack in it and Bulma unconsciously pushed it open

"Hey! Thissrooms taken!" A dunk girl complained. Bulma blinked several times until she saw a flash of bright orange hair, then a girl sitting in the embrace of a familiar looking man. Unable to think straight, Bulma stood still for a moment, dazed at the sight.

"Bulma?" the man questioned, pushing the orange haired girl off his lap Bulma's head snapped up and she squinted. "Yamcha?" she muttered.

"Who the hell?" the girl on the floor protested.

"Shhhh Alana, this Bulma", Yamcha said, his speech heavily slurred as well. Alana whined, then crawled out of the room.

"Bulma", Yamcha murmured, reaching forward. Bulma made no response but slowly backed away. Yamcha pulled the girl towards him and held her tightly in his arms. "Mmmm… Bulma, why you won't stay wime? Why you gotto go off withat faggot?"

Bulma, who hadn't heard a single word Yamcha had said, looked blankly at the ceiling. Yamcha frowned and rubbed his head, trying to chase away the throbbing headache. He looked closely at Bulma for a while, the suddenly pressed his mouth to hers. Bulma immediately responded by pushing him away harshly. A single tear leaked out of her eyes as she turned away from Yamcha.

"Dammit! Why do you have to do this to me?" she yelled at the wall.

"Bulma? I'm over here", Yamcha said, confused. Ignoring him, Bulma inched closer to the wall and began pounding her fists against it.

"Why can't you tell how I feel? Why do we always have to fight?" she yelled at the wall as if it were a person. Yamcha scrunched up his eyebrows and rubbed his head again. Was he imagining it? Or was Bulma really talking to the wall? He finally decided she was talking to him, but couldn't see too clearly.

"Bulma. It's ok. We won't fight anymore", Yamcha said, inching closer to Bulma. He took her in his arms and hugged her gently.

"Why can't we get along?" Bulma whined, leaning her head against Yamcha's shoulder.

"We won't fight anymore alright? I love you, Bulma" Yamcha mumbled. Bulma sighed and hugged him tighter, "I love you too, Vegeta".

Vegeta smirked and laid down his cards. " I win", he announced. His opponent frowned and took of her watch, handing it reluctantly to Vegeta. He pushed back his chair and stood up, making his way over to the empty seat beside Goku.

"Hey! Where's Bulma?" Chichi asked as Vegeta came into her view.

"Who?" Vegeta asked blankly. Chichi stared at him in disbelief, but 18 rolled her eyes. "He's just faking it, Chi. Like he would really forget who Bulma is", she said confidently. Vegeta winced.

"Smart girl", he commented, reaching for a glass.

"So where is she?" Goku asked.

"You guys really don't know?" Vegeta asked, his eyes widening.

"She went to look for you", Krillen remembered.

"I think she went down the hallway. She was heading – hey!" Chichi frowned as Vegeta cut off her sentence by bolting across the room towards the hallway.

"Wow, I supposed he really likes her, huh?" 18 said with an amused smile.

Vegeta stepped frantically into the hall, pushing over every door in the way. He finally reached the end and kicked open the last door.

"What the fuck are you doing!" he yelled, stepping quickly inside the room.

"'geta", Bulma said blankly, a childlike smile on her face. She stood up and stumbled forward, too drunk to walk properly. Vegeta rushed forwards and caught the girl before she fell. Bulma moaned and wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yamcha?" Vegeta growled dangerously, noticing the figure that lurked in the shadows.

"Uh… hi", Yamcha replied weakly, backing away. Vegeta fought back the temptation to punch the drunk man and instead, picked up Bulma and left the room.

"Take me home"

"Shut up"

"Vegeta! Vegeeeta!" Bulma squirmed.

"Stop it! Shut up!"

"My head hurts!" Bulma complained.

"Ok! Shut up and I'll take you home! Stop moving!" Vegeta carried Bulma out to their car and set the girl in the passenger seat. He sat down in the drivers side and took a deep breath.

"Where are we going?"

"You said you wanted to go home"

"Who?"

"You're drunk. Shut up", Vegeta said, looking at the girl in disgust. Bulma frowned and looked back at Vegeta who quickly turned away. She yawned and leaned heavily against the seat. Moments later, Bulma had fallen asleep. Vegeta sighed and looked at Bulma again, examining her closely. The moonlight caused her fair skin to look so pale that it seemed to be glowing. Vegeta brushed a strand of hair from Bulma's face and carefully tucked it behind her ear.

"What the - ", Vegeta muttered as he hit a slight bump under the mess of blue hair. He leaned closer and uncovered a large bruise behind Bulma's ear. Vegeta frowned and allowed his eyes to study the wound. Then, another bump on Bulma's upper arm, followed by a cut on her wrist caught Vegeta's attention.

"What the hell happened?" he wondered, taking the girls hands into his. Vegeta sighed and started the car. He drove home angrily, determined to find out what happened.

A\N : there's actually more to this chapter… but I think I'll save it for next time, so this is just the first part of chapter seven. Um… read, enjoy, and review please!


	9. ch 7 part two

A/N: sorry I didn't update in a while…

Disclaimer : don't own dbz

So… here's the rest of chapter seven

A clattering of plastic falling to the floor, followed by a few cuss words was the greeting Bulma received as she slowly woke. She rubbed her temples and groaned; horrible hangover. Vegeta pushed open the door to Bulma's room and dropped a phone on the pillow. He set a bowl on the table and stuck a spoon in it.

"Vegeta? What happened?"

"Answer the phone first. We'll talk later", Vegeta replied, pointing to the phone. Confused, Bulma reached in front of her and grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Bulma! What happened? We never saw you again after you left! Where did you go? Vegeta seemed so pissed off! What - "

"Uh, heh. Chi, I'm alright. I just uh, I need a sec ok? Maybe we can meet up later and -"

"Oh… I see. Vegeta's there, isn't he?" Chichi asked with a laugh. Bulma blushed and quickly muttered a "bye" before hanging up.

"Vegeta? What happened last night?" Bulma asked, setting the phone back on the bed.

"Apparently, you were dead drunk and ran into Yamcha who was also drunk. I don't know what happened, but you had bruises all over and I found you sitting on the floor in a room", Vegeta relied, sitting down on Bulma's bed. He fiddled with a corner of the blanket while Bulma sat quietly, looking thoughtful.

"I think I remember some of what happened, but it's mostly a blur. I think… I remember wanting to go find you, but I don't remember why. Then, I had to barf so I found a toilet", Bulma paused and smiled, "So after that I remember bumping into things. And I remember Alana… "

"You saw Alana?" Vegeta asked, jerking his head up.

"Why?"

"I uh… Maybe she hurt you, you know? These cuts and stuff", Vegeta replied awkwardly, pointing to a cut below Bulma's elbow.

"Nah. She left when I went in. I think she was- "

"Where did you go in?" Vegeta asked, looking alert.

"This room. Yamcha was there, and I remember hugging him… or maybe he was hugging- "

"You were hugging Yamcha! Him? Again?" Vegeta yelled, jumping up from the bed.

"No! Vegeta, wait! I - "

"What the hell were you doing with him?"

"Vegeta! Listen!"

"I don't need to listen. Isn't it painfully obvious? You were drunk, he was drunk. What do two drunk people do? Especially since you two used to date and who knows what else you can do in a dark room?"

"Vegeta", Bulma said quietly, almost in a whisper. A tear leaked out of her eye and she cowered back. "Vegeta, Are you accusing me of sleeping with him? I'm a virgin, dammit!"

"I don't care", Vegeta said, turning towards the door.

"Please, Vegeta… I…" Bulma fell silent and Vegeta turned to hear what she had to say. The next words that came out were one he dreaded. "Vegeta, I'm not going to beg you to believe me. I'm not that low", Bulma sighed and looked him straight in the eye.

"Fine", Vegeta muttered, stepping into the hall. He took one last look at Bulma, then slammed the door rudely.

"Bulma stayed frozen on the bed, eyes fixed on the spot where Vegeta once stood. "Why'd I have to say that?" she wondered aloud. She couldn't figure out why the words she spoke were so different from the ones in her heart. In her heart, a voice had been crying out, "Don't go!", and when Vegeta left so abruptly, the voice began whining, "Why didn't you leave me?"

Bulma sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek as more fell from her eyes. She turned to look at the bowl Vegeta had brought and let out a small gasp. There lay a bowl of milk with alphabet cereal floating around. Bulma looked closer at the letter inside and came up with her name "Bulma". This left the girl in even more tears and without even touching the cereal, Bulma cried herself to sleep.

Vegeta slammed the car door and quickly started the engine, driving furiously down the road. He felt so confused, so angry, so… embarrassed? This morning was supposed to be perfect. He was supposed to bring Bulma her cereal, accept her "thank you", and live happily ever after. Instead, it turned into a verbal battlefield. Vegeta knew he said things he didn't mean, but it was too late to take them back.

He drove for a few minutes, uncertain about where to go. He couldn't head over to Goku's place since Chichi would be there. Krillen's place with 18 was out of the question. Vegeta sighed and rolled down the window, letting the warm breeze blow through his hair. He stopped at a red light and growled in frustration.

Vegeta looked out the window and spotted a trail leading up to a bumpy mountain. Suddenly, memories from his childhood came flooding back at him. Vegeta followed the trail to the mountain top and parked his car. He jumped out, expecting to see things the way they were before. Yes. There it was. In the middle of the woody mountain was a small log cabin that belonged to his parents before they died.

The family often came here to camp out and Vegeta vividly remembered every inch of the place. He sighed and unlocked the door to the cabin. It was a private place that no one knew about. Vegeta stepped in the door and looked around. All the furniture, although a bit dusty, remained exactly the way they were before. Vegeta decided to stay here, hoping to take his mind off of Bulma.

He carelessly blew away some dust from the bed and dropped down on it, closing his eyes. He spent all day worrying about Bulma and was now exhausted. With the hazy sun warming up the cool room, Vegeta easily fell asleep.

A/N : yay! Another chapter up! It's not that long… but I hope you still like it!


	10. ch 8 part one

A/N: oh. Did I forget to say that this story has a sad ending?

Disclaimer: dbz not mine

Chapter 8

A week seemed longer than a year for Bulma Briefs, who spent every moment waiting for Vegeta to return. She searched endlessly, calling up her friends for help. No one could find Vegeta.

"I'm sorry Bulma. I really, really think you should call the police tomorrow. Just to be sure you've done absolutely everything", Chichi chided Bulma, giving her friend a quick hug. The aqua hair girl nodded and gave her best friend a weak smile.

"Bye!" Goku called out from the car as Chichi climbed in. Bulma waved silently, then closed the door. Another lonely day with no one to keep her company. Bulma sighed and walked up the stairs, yawning as she pushed open the door. She climbed sleepily into bed and turned off the lamp on her bedside table. Another day of exhausting work, another day with no result.

"Dammit, Vegeta! Where the hell did you go?" Bulma moaned in frustration. She buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled scream.

"Who knew you could make so much noise?" a sarcastic voice asked. Bulma immediately pulled her head up, searching for the speaker.

"Vegeta?" she asked hopefully, recognizing the gruff voice. With a smirk plastered over his graceful features, Vegeta stepped into view. Bulma froze, not believing shat she saw. Why did he come back? As she regained her senses, Bulma felt anger rising inside her. She stood up slowly, stepping forward until she was inches from Vegeta. Standing on her tiptoes, she met Vegeta's eyes and gave him a long stare. The silence was shattered when Bulma began yelling at the top of her lungs, causing Vegeta to step back.

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO? HOW COULD YOU JUST TAKE OFF LIKE THAT? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK BACK HERE? WHY WOULD I LET YOU RETURN WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOOKE FOR YOU? HOW MUCH WE ALL LOOKED FOR YOU? WHY'D YOU JUST- "

"Are you done yet?" Vegeta interrupted, crossing his arms. Bulma sighed and shook her head.

"You know what? You're hopeless. HOPELESS! Go burn in hell", she said, stalking back to her bed. Vegeta remained motionless, trying to decide what to do nest.

"Listen to me", he finally said, sitting down beside Bulma, "I know you're really pissed off. But I'm back, right? Are you going to kick me out?"

Bulma considered this option thoughtfully, then shook her head, a look of defeat on her face. Vegeta smirked and gave her a hug. He made his way to the sofa and laid down.

"Go to sleep"

Bulma obeyed and crawled under her covers.

"You know I'd never kick you out", she said finally.

"Never kick you out … " Vegeta replayed these words in his head with a sense of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if Bulma really didn't accept him again. A week's worth of loneliness in a cabin taught him to appreciate the company of others. He realized how much he missed the yelling, the bickering… the food, and how much u missed having Bulma by his side.

Bulma squinted as the morning sun glared upon her sleepy eyes. She crawled out of bed and yawned. As she clanged in the corner and saw Vegeta, the past week's events came flooding over her. The whole time Vegeta was gone, Bulma had trouble sleeping. She didn't do anything during the day except search for Vegeta. Each night, with no result, Bulma would go to bed and promise herself she'd find him the next day.

"Stubborn freakin' little…" she muttered, walking over to the sofa. She knelt down on the floor to get a better view of Vegeta. His features were arranged in a scowl, but there was a soft gentleness behind the angry demeanor. Bulma sighed and rubber her head, leaning against a pillow Vegeta had frown on the floor. This slight movement caused Vegeta to wake and find himself lost in a tangle of messy blue hair. A pair of sparkling aqua eyes peeked cautiously at him, causing Vegeta to frown.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he demanded, sitting up. Bulma stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and stalked off into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and quickly pulled on a thin jacket before heading downstairs. Vegeta relaxed against the sofa and watched Bulma's retreating form, secretly smiling to himself.

"Vegeta! You can't just leave – Vegeta! Damn! Get your ass over… here", Bulma had started out yelling across the pyramids of oranges and apples and quickly lowered her voice when everyone turned to look at her. She stood awkwardly next to a row of bananas and glared angrily at Vegeta who was messing around in the vegetable section.

After Bulma had made breakfast for the both of them, Vegeta volunteered to accompany Bulma to the grocery store. At first, the girl had been excited, but the trip turned out to be disastrous since Vegeta refused to listen to her. Bulma shook her head and looked down at the shopping cart parked in front of her. She quickly scanned the item, decided the shopping was done, and headed for the checkout stands. Vegeta followed silently, glaring at a little boy who never ceased to stare at him.

As Bulma waited in line, Vegeta found a fountain and sat near it, watching Bulma from a distance. He couldn't help feeling light hearted as he watched her move gracefully, hading a credit card to the cashier. If only there was a way for them to become closer. Vegeta sighed. Why did they have to argue all the time? He knew they both had impossibly stubborn personalities, but that wasn't a reason enough to keep them apart.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. Of course! Bulma had been hurt. Deeply wounded. She was still hurt. She had kept to herself from love because she had experienced the pain it brought. Vegeta unconsciously closed his hands into a tight fist as he remembered Yamcha and Alana. He felt himself fill up with hatred at what they had done. Lost in his thoughts, Vegeta almost punched Bulma, who had just walked up to him. He drew back his arms immediately and kept a slight distance from the girl, who was looking at him suspiciously. _I have to show her. Love isn't pain_. Vegeta thought as they walked towards the car. But how could he do that? He knew they had a rough past, with plenty of yelling and plenty of tears. But Vegeta decided he could start fresh. He could start over the relationship.

"I'll drive", he announced as Bulma stuck the car keys in the door. She paused and looked up at him with a strange expression which slowly broke into a grin.

"I get it. You'll take off and leave me stranded, huh?"

"What? Stupid woman. Just get in".

"Fine, Vegeta".

Vegeta inserted the keys and started the engine, pulling skillfully onto the road while Bulma leaned back against her seat.

"Hey! Capsule Corp. is this way!" she whined, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I never said where we were going"

"You -" Bulma found nothing to counter these words with and sat back. They drove in silence for several minutes, then Vegeta pulled into a large parking lot and smirked at Bulma.

"This is a restaurant", she said dumbly, looking around at the buildings.

"And guess what time it is", Vegeta replied sarcastically.

"You're taking me to lunch?" Bulma asked in disbelief.

"Would you rather have me leave you in the car?" Vegeta retorted, raising an eyebrow. Bulma grinned and quickly looped her arm thorough Vegeta's, dragging him into the restaurant.

"I have to admit I'm surprised", Vegeta said lightly, watching Bulma climb into the car.

"Why?"

"It's surprising how you can eat so much, yet stay so thin", Vegeta mused, starting the car. Bulma cocked an eyebrow at him and smiled, enjoying the compliment. The car pulled onto the road and Bulma immediately noticed they were diving away from Capsule Corp.

"We had lunch already, so - "

"Did I say we were going home?"

"But- "

"Shhh. I have something to show you", Vegeta said. Bulma's eyes lit up and she obeyed. As they drove, Bulma continuously snuck glances at Vegeta, who never took his eyes off the road. They drove in silence until the car finally pulled into a small, grassy area with a few tress carrying beautiful blossoms.

"Vegeta? Where are we?"

"Here"

"But where are we? Hey! Where are you going? Vegeta come back!" Bulma yelled, chasing after Vegeta who had jumped out of the car, ducked behind a tree, and disappeared.

A/N : kinda a cliffy… yes? Um… enjoy!


	11. ch 8 part two

A/N : sooo sorry ! I haven't updated in forever… well… here goes :

Disclaimer : I disclaim

Ch 8 part two

"Vegeta! Get you ass out here! Vegeta!" Several birds squawked and flew away, scared off by Bulma's loud voice. She tucked a strand of aqua hair behind her ear and shivered. The once gentle breeze had slowly evolved into heavier winds. Bulma looked around nervously and called out Vegeta's name once more.

When no reply sounded, she hurried back to the car, but found the doors to be locked. Bulma looked around at her surroundings and shuddered. She was used to an orderly, indoor life with little contact to nature; a bird waling aimlessly on the forest floor, bugs working their way up and down a tree, and a bunny rabbit scurrying into a hole.

Bulma frowned and pulled herself up to the roof of the car where she sat awkwardly, clutching her thing jacket around her. Evening replaced the afternoon and the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon. Bulma called out Vegeta's name repeatedly, but got no reply. She was on the verge of tears when her sensitive ears caught the sound of a low growl behind her. Believing it to be a wild animal, Bulma pulled her knees to her chest and didn't turn around. The noise grew steadily closer and Bulma was so frightened a tear rolled down her check.

"Vegeta! Where did you go?" she cried out, felling very much like a lost child. The growling abruptly stopped and Bulma quickly turned to see Vegeta standing an inch away from the car, a surprised expression planted on his face.

"Were you really that scared?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Bulma's mouth fell into a round "o" when she realized the Vegeta had been watching her the whole time. She quickly regained her senses after a brief moment of shock and hopped of the hood, landing shakily in front of Vegeta.

"Vegeta! I can't believe you! Why? No, don't tell me. I already know! You're a jerk. A jerk who pretended to be nice all day so you could finally scare me like this, right? Well, I'm telling you now! You - " Bulma's rambling was cut off as Vegeta suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

He waited for her to respond, but instead, Bulma shoved her hands against Vegeta's chest, pushing him away. She glanced at him for a brief moment before averting her eyes. Vegeta let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. He was disappointed, but also furious at himself for trying to kiss her. Vegeta scrunched up his eyebrows and looked at the sky, then decided to apologize. Just as he was about to speak, Bulma quickly pushed her way past him and stalked off towards a cluster of trees. Vegeta turned and watched her figure slowly fade away, and when she could no longer be seen, he took off after her.

Bulma pulled her jacket tighter around her body and quickened her steps. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but she knew anywhere was better than with Vegeta. His kiss had initially shocked her, but the more she thought about it, the less strange it because. She almost felt as if it was expected. Running a finger along her lips, Bulma frowned and quickened her pace. She couldn't stop thinking of Vegeta's attempted kiss no matter how hard she tried to get it out of her mind. It was almost as if he was right there with her, wrapping his arms around .here.

"What am I thinking?" Bulma wondered aloud, shaking her head. She sighed and walked a bit further until a log cabin standing in a clearing came to view. Bulma walked forward curiously and circled the cabin, taking in its intricate wood carvings. She found a small door and pushed it gently, surprised to find that it swung open quite easily. Inside, a small hallway led to two rooms; one a kitchen and the other a bed room. Bulma cautiously made her way into the bedroom and smiled in delight when she caught sight of a charming little restroom with a beautifully carved wooden sink.

She was surprised to see everything in such good condition that she wondered if anyone lived here. Walking into the restroom, she saw that a towel bearing the Capsule Corp. logo hung over a rack near the shower. She noticed it was slightly wet and frowned. Someone had been here recently and it was someone from Capsule Corp. Perhaps an employee? But, who would take a towel? Other than herself, Bulma couldn't think of anyone who had access to towels except…

"Vegeta!" Bulma gasped as a familiar scent filled the room and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. "Vegeta, is this where you stayed? Up here?" Bulma asked, turning around to face Vegeta. He nodded and let go of her, walking back into the bedroom.

"Wait! So, this is your… house?" Bulma asked again, her mind feeling awfully confused. Vegeta, who stood two steps away from the bed, turned and raising an eyebrow. Bulma stuck out her lower lip and hurried forward, tripping over a rug as she did so. With a scream of surprised, Bulma lost balance and toppled onto Vegeta, throwing both of them onto the bed. As soon as they landed, Bulma quickly rolled to one side and sat up peeking at Vegeta through a few strands of cerulean hair. He remained motionless, looking up at the blank ceiling. Bulma crawled up next to him and laid down.

"Vegeta, I'm – I - " she stuttered for a moment and took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding and she could no longer move her arms and legs. Vegeta turned towards her and propped himself up on his elbows. A faint smirk caused Bulma to freeze completely. She shivered involuntarily but kept her eye contact steady. _What am I doing?_ She wondered. _I know he's so perfect for me, so why can't I accept this? Why do I have to act like such a retard? Why am I hiding my feelings? Sheesh!_ And although Bulma asked these questions in her mind, her heart knew the answers.

It was actually very simple. She was afraid. She never truly recovered from what happened on prom night. During those few minutes, both her parents and her boyfriend had been taken away. Who wouldn't reconsider love after that? _But it's been four years_. A voice in her mind said. _Maybe it's time to try again._ Another voice agreed. Bulma took a deep breath and leaned closer towards Vegeta.

"Close your eyes", she whispered and brought her lips to meet his. The feeling of kissing and being kissed shocked Bulma. She had completely forgotten about it. After all, her last kiss had been with Yamcha. Stupid Yamcha. Bulma mentally pushed those thought out f her mind and concentrated on Vegeta. She could feel the kiss deepening as he pushed her against the bed, wrapping his arms tenderly around her.

Bulma tilted her head back and lowly parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slide in. They remained this way for a few seconds until Bulma quickly broke away, gasping for air. Her chest heaved quickly up and down as she breathed sharply. Vegeta watched her patiently, a faint smile spread across his face. Bulma grinned and sat up on the bed, only to be pulsed back down by Vegeta. They kissed again, then broke apart. Both sat silently on the bed, unsure of what to do next.

A thin stream of moonlight peeked through a crack in the curtains, illuminating the face of a sleeping beauty cradled in the arms of her prince. Vegeta lay comfortably on the bed with Bulma snuggled in his arms. He held her silently, never taking his eyes off of her. A small clock in the corner told him it was a little past midnight, but Vegeta was in no mood to sleep. He kept on playing and replaying what had happened earlier in his mind.

flashback

After a moment of sitting awkwardly on the bed, Vegeta had suggested that they eat. Food was quickly packed and Bulma was led by Vegeta to a hidden lake behind a forest of trees. The sunset reflected clearly off of the smooth lake surface and the smell of the forest scented the air. They at a quick meal and enjoyed the calm silence. Eventually, Bulma fell asleep and Vegeta had carried her back to the cabin, setting her carefully on the bed. He had stood by the bed, deciding whether to join her or not. After al, there was only one bed in the cabin. Using this logic as an excuse, Vegeta had slowly crawled on to the bed and remained motionless, watching Bulma sleep calmly.

end flashback

A/N : another chapter… yes? Since winter break is here… I think I'll be updating faster cuz I have more time. OR… since winter break is here… I'll get lazy and sleep all day… but, either way… please enjoy and review!


	12. ch 9

A/N: new chapter! I think I **am** gonna update during break so… yay!

I had to write the last part several times before it was good enough… so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: blah blah… don't own… blah

Ok… here's chapter nine!

C H A P T E R 9

Bulma rolled over onto her back and swung an arm out. She unconsciously expected to his a body, but instead found herself alone o the bed. Slowly, she crawled out of bed and wearily stood up. Where was Vegeta? Bulma pulled on her jacket and shivered. The morning air in the froes was notably colder than the air in the city. The sound of running water from the bathroom caught Bulma's attention and she quickly head towards it. At the door, she paused, unsure of whether she should open it or not. Bulma took a deep breath and reached for the knob.

The water had been turned off and the door jerked open, revealing Vegeta wrapped in nothing but a towel. The same towel Bulma had seen yesterday. She stumbled back in shock and looked away, trying to hide her blush. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Vegeta smirking triumphantly.

"You took long enough", Bulma glared at him, unsure of what else to say. Vegeta grunted and allowed Bulma to step in the restroom as he exited.

A quick shower, freshly brushed teeth, and a few minutes later, Bulma stepped out of the restroom with a grin. Although dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, Bulma she felt fresh and lively in every sense. She felt more energetic and more awake than she'd felt in a long time.

"You know, if we had planned ahead of time, we could spend a weekend hanging out here", Bulma suggested to Vegeta as she pulled out a loaf of bread from the grocery bags. Her tone of voice told him she'd had fun, but they had to leave soon after breakfast. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. Bulma could tell he was secretly excited and she smiled to herself.

The couple ate a short breakfast and left the cabin. The sun shone brightly thought clearings in the trees and Bulma squinted her eyes, trying to block out some on the light. She noticed that nature came to life in the forest. She could feel the wind blowing stronger, the sun brighter, and the animals louder. Brushing her hair aside, Bulma handed Vegeta the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. She shut the door behind her and rolled down the window, allowing the wind to blow lightly into the car.

Her feeling of freshness and calmness quickly disappeared as the car pulled onto the crowded city roads. Bulma noticed pollution for the first time as well as all the cars that moved in every direction.

Vegeta rushed through two red lights and pulled smoothly into the capsule corp. driveway. When he suddenly slammed his foot on the brake, Bulma let out a squeak and slapped him. She hurried out the car door and was about to yell at him when a strange sight caught her attention.

The door to her house was wide open and two police officers stood beside it. Bulma immediately thought of Chichi, who was the only other person who could freely access her house.

"What happened?" Vegeta asked, stepping up to an officer.

"Uh, sir, we've had a report that Bulma Briefs of Capsule corp. is missing", the officer replied, glancing down at his clipboard to avoid Vegeta's deadly gaze.

"What? I'm right here!" Bulma protested. The officer looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You know, it's not hard to just dye your hair blue", he said. Bulma's mouth fell open and she became speechless. This guy didn't believe her?

"But, I **am** Bulma! I live here", she whined. The officer shook his head and Vegeta scowled. He was about to punch the officer when a familiar voice rang out from inside the house. Bulma grinned when she saw chichi rushing down the stairs, calling out her name.

"I TOLD you", Bulma spat in the officers face as Chichi embraced her best friend in a tight hug.

"I thought someone kidnapped you! I called and called, but you never picked up! So I drove here and when no one was around, I freaked and called the – What's here doing here?" Chichi suddenly lowered her voice when she finally saw Vegeta.

"Oh, I was with him", Bulma said lightly.

"Why?" Chichi whispered, her yes twinkling with excitement. Bulma could tell that the black haired girl was asking if anything had happened between them and she smiled in reply.

"You didn't need to call all these people over", Vegeta said loudly as two more officers came down the stairs.

"Um, you guys can go", Chichi said, pointing vaguely towards the door.

"Get out!" Vegeta yelled at an officer who had lingered back a while when he saw Bulma.

"Can't you be more polite?" Bulma asked, tugging on Vegeta's shirt. She hurried him into the house and quickly shut the door.

"I guess I kinda overreacted and called the police without really… thinking", Chichi mumbled awkwardly as she looked out the window and watched the police cars drive off. Bulma was about to assure her friend she shouldn't feel bad about it, but Vegeta immediately began speaking.

"Stupid, there was no reason to be scared".

"Vegeta! How can you be so freaking rude?" Bulma yelled, pounding on his chest with her fists. Vegeta glared at her for a moment, then stalked up the stairs, grumbling to himself.

"It's ok, Bulma. I probably should have thought before - "

"Don't worry about him, Chi. He often has mood swings", Bulma joked. Chichi laughed and Bulma joined in happily. The two girls headed for the kitchen to get a snack, but found the fridge empty. Bulma looked around and spotted Goku. Chichi quickly explained that while they waited for her return, he'd gotten a bit hungry.

"We could just go out", Bulma shrugged. Goku eagerly agreed and the three left the house.

Bulma sighed and leaned back in her seat. The food was delicious, but she was stuffed and couldn't eat anymore.

"I guess I'll take the leftovers home for Vegeta", Bulma said. Chichi nodded and gave her friend a hug before leaving with Goku.

Bulma climbed into her own car and drove home, allowing her mind to wander around. She thought of Vegeta first, but her thoughts strayed slowly to Yamcha. Would she give him a second chance? Maybe just to be friends. After all, she didn't want to lose him completely.

Bulma drove absentmindedly into her driveway and parked her car. She was greeted by a hungry Vegeta who suddenly perked up at the sight of food. Laughing, Bulma led Vegeta up to her room where they went out to the balcony. Vegeta sat down in the nearest chair and devoured the leftovers while Bulma gazed out at the city lights.

The afternoon sun slowly sank behind several buildings until the sky glowed a pale red-violet. Bulma sighed and walked into her room, changing into a short nightdress and lacy edges. She sat down on her bed and stared blankly at the wall which reflected the sunset.

Soft footsteps coming from the balcony caused Bulma to turn her head. She grinned as Vegeta joined her on the bed.

"I feel so sleepy", she murmured, leaning her head against his chest. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She squirmed around until she was comfortable and Vegeta clenched his teeth as she did so. Her slight movements aroused him and he gripped the sheets to keep control.

Bulma, who was unaware of what she'd done, rolled off Vegeta's lap and onto the bed. She snuggled under the covers and patted at the space beside her, motioning for Vegeta to join her. He did so, but kept a distance by staying on the edge of the bed.

Bulma shivered as a gust of cool wind blew into the room and she moved closer to Vegeta, wrapping an arm around his waist. Her soft breasts were pushed up against his hard, muscular chest and he shivered excitedly at the contact. Bulma felt a slight knot in the sheets and shifted around until she felt more comfortable. As she moved, her hips brushed against Vegeta's hardening arousal and he let out a low growl.

Still unaware, Bulma rolled onto her other side so the her luscious curves were pressed against Vegeta's tense body.

"Stop it", he hissed, shoving her away. Bulma looked at him with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"I- I'm sorry. What did I do?" she asked.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and tried to act nonchalant, but he could feel his body long to be touched again by her. He took a deep breath, but his voice came out shakily, "You're making me freaking damn horny".

Bulma's eyes popped open at this and she smiled evilly, crawling on top of Vegeta.

"So?" she asked, lowering her body over his. Vegeta growled and pulled her off of him, climbing on top of her instead. He brought his lips to meet hers and slipped his tongue almost harshly against her lips. She opened her mouth eagerly and ran a hand through his wild hair. Vegeta slid a hand up her dress and gently massaged her toned stomach, causing a jolt of pleasure to spread though Bulma's spine.

In a moment, Vegeta had tugged off Bulma's dress and had discarded his shirt as well. He felt the girl shuddered as her body came in contact with his.

Vegeta quickly pulled away and looked at her seriously. "Have you done this before?" he asked in a stern voice. Bulma shook her head and averted her eyes, wondering if Vegeta preferred her to be experienced or not. She knew he was.

"I'll teach you", he murmured.

Bulma felt a floor of relief sweep over her and she relaxed on the bed as Vegeta grazed her neck with gentle kisses. She felt better after this and dared to tug on his pants. He quickly helped her undo the belt and allowed her to pull of the torn jeans, leaving Vegeta in boxers and Bulma in a pair of silky underwear.

The sun set further until the room glowed a dim purple. Bulma could barely make out the outline of Vegeta's body pressed against hers, and she was glad he couldn't se her blushing furiously. Every part of her felt as if it was on fire and the warmth excited her. Bulma let out a moan as Vegeta accidentally rubbed against her thighs while attempting to discard her panties. A second later, they were both fully unclothed and sprawled out on top of the bed.

Sounds of intense pleasure echoed through the room as the couple arrived into a night of passion.

A/N : BIG SMILE if you're a sicko who read fanfic just for the lemons, then you might as well go away 


	13. ch 10

A/N: thanks to everyone who reviewed! Go ahead and gimme "constructive criticism" (sometimes I don't even know what that means) but… yeah :

Ok… I'm gonna do a reply to this review from…"futurepast". Ok. Wow, you're so nice! I like your idea, but I already wrote the story so I can't really change it. **But…** there's gonna be plenty of evil Vegeta later on… so I hope you still like it and thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer : don't own dbz or anything else…

Let's go on with the story then… ok?

Chapter 10

The sun had not yet risen above the many buildings lining the city when a high pitched jingle that served as the Capsule Corp. doorbell began ringing. Bulma turned her head and sleepily opened her eyes. A faint beam of light blue light allowed her to see Vegeta sleeping peacefully with his arms wrapped around her waist. She started at the ceiling for a while, wondering what had woken her up.

The doorbell rang again and Bulma groaned, annoyed at the intrusion. The weather was cold and her bed was nice and warm. Did she really have to answer the door? Bulma sighed and sat up in bed, causing Vegeta to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and squinted in the almost darkness.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled, tugging on Bulma's arms. She sighed and took his hand in hers, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

"There's someone at the door", she replied.

"What idiot would get up this early?" Vegeta growled, pulling Bulma on top of him. He tossed the covers over them and held her tightly in his arms. Bulma moaned and buried her head into the crook of his neck, allowing Vegeta to roam her body freely with his hands.

The doorbell sounded a third time and Bulma gently pushed Vegeta away.

"Maybe its… Chi. She might be worried if I don't answer", Bulma suggested, rolling to the edge of bed. She stood up and took a step, gasping in pain as she did so.

Immediately, Vegeta shot up and gave her a worried look. Bulma smiled sadly and explained, "I'm just… a little, uh, sore. I'm ok".

She blushed awkwardly and stumbled towards her door, throwing on a bathrobe in the process.

Vegeta pulled himself out of bed and found some clothes which he quickly put on. He followed Bulma across the hallway and helped her down the stairs.

Bulma winced with each step she took, for she could feel a painful soreness between her legs. This only reminded her of last night and she smiled absentmindedly. Vegeta was much better than she'd expected, and even when he tried to be gentle, Bulma had experienced extraordinary pain.

She slowly made her way to the door and opened it warily.

"What?" she asked when she saw Yamcha standing on her doorstep.

"I- I come in peace", Yamcha stuttered. Bulma looked at him, confused, then realized Vegeta was standing behind her.

"Look. I- uh, Bulma, I just wanted to apologize", Yamcha said. Bulma sighed and opened the door wider, allowing Yamcha to enter.

All three young adults took a seat in the living room and remained silent for a few minutes. Bulma sat on one corner of a sofa with Vegeta on her left. Yamcha squirmed uncomfortably in his seat directly across from Bulma.

"Hey, Look. I just want to say sorry for what I did before. You probably hate me, you know, I understand. But, couldn't you try… couldn't we try to be friends? Just friends?" Yamcha pleaded.

Bulma nodded warily, hoping he would leave if she agreed. Her whole body ached and she felt extremely tired.

"Well, in the case, I guess I came here kinda early. You can - " Yamcha's prepared speech was cut off by a telephone ringing noisily in the kitchen. Bulma sat motionless on the sofa until Yamcha asked, "Aren't you going to pick that up?"

Bulma looked at Vegeta with pleading eyes and he understood that she couldn't exactly get up. Vegeta glared at Yamcha, then stood up and disappeared into the kitchen,. Bulma turned her head and watched Vegeta leave, then turned reluctantly back to Yamcha.

"Ha, that was smart of you to get rid of him", Yamcha smirked.

"I wasn't trying to- nevermind", Bulma laid back on the sofa and closed her eyes, tilting her head back so that her long, smooth neck was exposed to Yamcha. He licked his lips, but remained seated.

"Bulma. What's your relationship with Vegeta?" Yamcha dared to ask.

"He just live here because he has no house", Bulma lied.

"So… he's homeless and he's using you?" Yamcha asked skeptically.

"No, he not", Bulma replied a little too quickly.

"You like him", Yamcha scoffed, looking away. Bulma couldn't make herself lie and say "no", so she nodded weakly.

"Have you guys done anything?" Yamcha asked again. Bulma immediately shook her head and quickly brought her gaze to the floor.

"Liar", Yamcha muttered. He'd known Bulma long enough to tell when she was telling the truth. "I bet you've slept with him, huh? Slut. You could have all the pleasure you want with me, but you'd rather go with him?" Yamcha asked.

Bulma jumped up at this comment and, forgetting her pain, strode over to Yamcha and slapped him hard in the face.

"Get out!" She screamed, tugging harshly on his hair. She dragged him to the door and shoved him outside, slamming the door behind him loudly.

Vegeta, who'd just hung up the phone, leaned against the wall and smirked. He couldn't admit it out loud, but Bulma was one tough girl, and he was proud of her. He knew he wouldn't ever choose anyone over her.

"You ok?" he asked, trying to sound uncaring as Bulma slumped against the sofa. She nodded tiredly and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep at any moment. Vegeta smiled to himself and walked leisurely over to the sofa. He picked up Bulma's limp body and carried her back to her room. He carefully set her on the bed, and then got in himself. After tossing the covers over them once more, Vegeta hugged Bulma close to his chest. He felt her squirm slightly, then fall motionless.

The phone call was still fresh in Vegeta's mind, and he knew he was supposed to tell Bulma a very important message, but he also knew she was tired. In facet, he didn't feel too awake either. Who knew she could drain so much energy from him? With this thought in mind, Vegeta cradled Bulma in his arms and fell asleep.

A/N: you like? I like! Or at least… I tried. Ok, review please please please!


	14. ch 11

A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! Ummmm… heres the next chapter, aiite?

Ch 11

A few minute before noon, the telephone rang loudly, waking a couple snuggled comfortably in their bed. Bulma groaned and reached out her arm, picking up the phone on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Where the hell are you?" an angry voice asked. Bulma blinked and took a moment to realize it was 18's angry voice blaring in her ear.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Chi's really really sick! Vegeta said you'd come over" 18 replied, sounding slightly irritated.

"I'll be right there", Bulma sat up in bed and hung up the phone. She pulled the covers off of Vegeta's body and pounded her fist against Vegeta's chest. Why didn't he tell her it was urgent? 18 sounded near tears!

"Vegeta! Why didn't you tell me 18 called?" Bulma yelled, giving him one last pound with her fists. She crawled out of bed and threw on a simple shirt and jeans. She could now walk easily and she quickly ran down the stairs, grabbing her keys and cell phone along the way.

In a few minutes, Bulma arrived at Chichi's house and quickly knocked on the door. No answer. She rang the doorbell repeatedly, but there was not reply. Bulma was about to call 18 when the door opened sharply and a tired looking blonde stepped into view. 18 gave her friend a tired smile and the two girls rushed upstairs.

"She's been barfing all over the place!" 18 explained as Bulma entered Chichi's room. The curtains were pulled shut, allowing no light into the room. A pile of tissues were littered on the floor and the blankets on the bed lay in a rumpled heap. Bulma shook her head and stepped across the room, pulling open the curtains. She lifted open the window, letting in the fresh air.

"Ok, get all those blankets off the bed", Bulma instructed as she quickly cleaned up the tissues. 18 obeyed and tossed the blankets onto a chair in the corner. Bulma walked into the adjoining restroom and spotted Chichi bent over the toilet. She looked ready to throw up and her eyes were puffy from crying. Bulma hugged her friend, then grabbed a towel and soaked it with warm water. She cleaned off Chichi's face and led the girl back to her room. With the help of 18, Bulma dressed Chichi in fresh clothes and sat her on the bed. She gave her a single blanket and a bucket.

"Chi, I'm so sorry. Vegeta got the phone and he never told me", Bulma apologized. Chichi smiled and forgave her friend.

"So, what symptoms have you had?" Bulma asked.

"I got up this morning and threw up right away. My stomach hurt a little and… well, weird thing is, I'm not really sick. I mean, I should have a cold or something, right? But I'm not sneezing or coughing or whatever", Chichi replied. Bulma thought for a moment and turned to her friend.

"Chi, are… are you pregnant?" Bulma asked quietly. The raven-haired girl turned pale and her mouth fell open.

"What?" 18 asked, slightly shocked.

"It's a possibility", Bulma said, looking up.

"But, how can you tell?" 18 asked.

"Morning sickness. Um, you know what? I'll take you two to my hose. I have pregnancy tests", Bulma decided. Chichi and 18 followed without protest, but looked at each other nervously.

Bulma pulled her car into the driveway and quickly ushered her friends out of the car. The three girls hurried out up to Bulma's room to find Vegeta still asleep in bed. Bulma quickly shut her door, hoping her friends didn't see him. But they did.

"What's **he** doing in your bed?" Chichi asked, looking slightly worried. Bulma shook her head and didn't reply. She pushed Chichi into the nearest restroom and handed her a pregnancy test.

"Hurry up", 18 muttered after Bulma had closed the door. While Chichi was in the restroom, her two best friends sat outside, slumped on the ground, giving each other nervous glances.

After what seemed like years to Bulma, Chichi stepped out of the bathroom in sniffling.

"What's the result?" 18 asked, jumping up from the floor.

Chichi gave her friend a sad look and burst into tears. Bulma hugged her and sighed, "C'mon, are you?"

"Why else would she be crying?" 18 rolled her eyes. Chichi nodded and began rambling while tears still leaked out of her eyes.

"How can I be pregnant? What am I going to do? I have to get married! I have to get a job! I jave to have a house! I'm going to be so fat!"

"Chi, a child is a beautiful thing. There's nothing wrong with having a baby", Bulma coaxed.

"Goku **is** the father, right?"18 asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Of courts he is!" Bulma answered for her friend. Chichi sniffled and gave her friend a soft smile.

"I though you'd be celebrating, not crying", 18 commented, leaning lazily against the wall.

"Yeah, I guess I'm really happy for myself", Chichi agreed.

"You guess?" Bulma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, I know, ok?" Chichi said, smiling at her friends. Her eyes were still sparkling with tears, but her heart was filled with happiness.

Bulma sighed and pushed open her balcony doors, allowing the smell of fresh, clean air to flow into the room. She gently woke Vegeta and he joined her. 18 had driven Chichi home a few minutes ago and with no one else to keep her company, Bulma looked to Vegeta. She was felling abnormally happy and light hearted and she knew many events led up to her mood. Chichi had already appointed her two best friends as the baby's godmothers and Bulma had been particularly happy about it.

"What are you smiling about?" Vegeta asked, watching Bulma grin foolishly. She shook her head and gave him a big bear hug, surprising both herself and Vegeta.

"I think something in your brain is loosed. You don't like me this much, remember?" Vegeta joked sarcastically. Bulma let out a laugh and kissed him boldly, expected him to respond immediately. And he did.

Within a few seconds, the couple had collapsed onto the cold, stone floor of the balcony. Vegeta had Bulma pushed up against the wall while he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Stop, C'mon, we can't do this out here. The whole city can see us", Bulma murmured, pulling away gently. She walked into the house and Vegeta followed silently.

"You hungry?" Bulma asked, putting on a jacket. Vegeta nodded and said nothing. He wanted Bulma more than anything at that moment, but was afraid to rush her.

The couple walked downstairs hand in hand, ready to start their day together.


	15. ch 12

A/N: happy new year! Sorry for not updating in a while… but here goes!

Ummm.. oh yeah, this is gonna be a happy happy chapter… because things won't be so happy anymore after this.

One more thing… I've been reading several fanfics during this time… and I noticed how they all have 500+ reviews… now, I dunno if this is because my fanfic hasn't been online for that long, or is it because it sucks, or is it because people are getting lazier these day? But I'd really really really appreciate it if you'd take the time (which isn't that long) and review smiles sweetly

… okok… on with the story!

Disclaimer : Whatever is left on Goku's plate after he's done eating… is how much I own…

Ch 12 

A week passed by smoothly, with no special events disturbing the peaceful life of Bulma Briefs. No **special **events, but there were definitely many events. Bulma was busy all day and all night and managed only a few hours of sleep. During the day, she was busy working in Capsule Corp with many other companies. At night, she was busy working in bed with Vegeta.

Although she now often had bags under her eyes, Bulma remained unusually cheery all week. Vegeta noticed this change in her mood and became slightly suspicious. He often wondered if she was hiding something from him and began studying her actions carefully. Some days, she seemed unusually tired, but Vegeta smirked and blamed that on himself.

Another week passed by and Bulma's mood remained constant. Vegeta decided she was just being retarded and stopped his suspicions.

It seemed very normal until one day when Vegeta had to use the restroom real bad. He normally used the one in Bulma's room, or the one downstairs near the kitchen. But, since he was somewhere else today, he rushed up the stairs and into the nearest bathroom. The one no one used on a normal basis. The one Chichi had been in two weeks ago. The one that still had the positive pregnancy test in the trash.

Vegeta. Freaked. Out. He completely lost all his sense when he found the test. Without thinking at all, he stormed down the stairs and into Bulma's office. The blue-haired girl was busy on the phone, but Vegeta snatched it out of her hands and slammed it down.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he almost yelled, glaring at Bulma. She stood up and looked at him, confusion swirling around in her head. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Vegeta! I don't know what you're talking about!" Bulma whined, backing away slightly.

"You're pregnant", Vegeta lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. Bulma noted the fear in his eyes and… wait, Vegeta was afraid? He was **afraid** of having a kid? Bulma grinned and that grin turned into uncontrollable laughter.

"Ve- Vegeta! I'm not pregnant! I - ", Bulma paused to let out her laughter, then continued, "How could you think - more laughter - I'm not - laughs some more - I - ", Bulma quickly stepped up to Vegeta and hugged him. She calmed down her laughs and gently kissed him on the cheek, "I'm not pregnant. Why did you think I was?"

"Your weird mood… and… there was a test in the trash", Vegeta shrugged.

"Oh. That wasn't mine. But… Goku's gonna be a father", Bulma smiled. Vegeta found this rather amusing and raised an eyebrow. Bulma laughed and wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck, leaning her head on his chest.

"Why were you so angry?" she asked softly.

"I don't – I'm not – I just don't was a brat", Vegeta replied finally. Bulma pulled away and looked at him.

"You don't? But – I – ", Bulma stopped. She remembered the fear she'd sensed. Vegeta was afraid of having a kid. Why the hell would he be scared of that? Not wanting to press the matter, Bulma quickly changed the subject, "Well, since you just hung up the phone for me, I have a free day".

"Really?" Vegeta asked, a smirk forming on his lips. Bulma smiled shyly as he effortlessly picked her up and brought her upstairs.

"Vegeta, there are staff members walking around all over the place", Bulma said, knowing exactly what Vegeta wanted to do.

"Then we'll just have to lock the door, right?" Vegeta smirked.

The bright afternoon sun was blazing in the sky and the rays of light shone into a clean white room filled with furniture, makeup, clothes, and two young adults. Bulma was curled into a ball, her brilliantly blue hair spilling across her face. Vegeta sat next to her on the bed, leaning against a pillow propped up against the head board. He stroke her hair gently, lost in his thoughts.

Vegeta remembered vividly the look of disappointment on Bulma's face when he told her he didn't want kids. But, that was the truth. Wouldn't it be better to tell her now? That way, she wouldn't cry about it when it was too late. Vegeta tried to use this logic to assure himself everything was ok, but there was a little voice nagging him at the back of his head.

He frowned deeply and tilted his head back. Why didn't he want kids? Well, duh. He knew why. First of all, he didn't have that good of a childhood himself. He was afraid to make the same mistakes his parents made. He was afraid he might leave his child one day if he died. His parents were never there for him to talk. And now they were both dead. He was also afraid of losing his kids. What if something bad happened to them? He already worried enough about Bulma's safety. After his parents' death, Vegeta had felt as if everything that was wroth loving and living for had disappeared.

Now that he had Bulma, he didn't want to lose her. He also didn't want kids for the same reason.

Vegeta sighed and rubbed his temples. He had to admit, he was afraid. That was simply it. He was scared and he couldn't do anything about it. He was disgusted by this and felt weak. What could he tell Bulma?

Vegeta was brought back into reality when Bulma stirred slightly, then rolled onto her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave Vegeta a gorgeous smile.

"Mmmmm.. What time is it?" Bulma asked, tapping Vegeta playfully on the chest. He reached out an arm and handed her the nearest clock. "Wow, five? Did I really sleep that long?" Bulma murmured, snuggling closer to Vegeta. He pulled her into his lap and buried his head in the crook of her neck, giving her a soft kiss.

Bulma relaxed in his arms and tilted her head back, resting gently on Vegeta's shoulder. She stared at the ceiling dreamily, thinking about the past months. So much had happened, it was hard to believe anything was real.

What if everything was just a dream? Would Vegeta really stay with her? Or was he just using her?

Bulma pushed these thought aside and climbed out of bed. She pulled on a robe and tied it tightly at the waist. Vegeta watched her lazily from the bed, a smirk plastered on his face.

"What?" Bulma asked, raising an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one leg, giving Vegeta a weird look. He chuckled lightly and climbed out of bed, putting on a robe as well.

Bulma waited patiently, then took his hand and led him to the balcony. The afternoon slowly slipped away and the sun was setting.

Bulma looked at the purple sky and sighed. Every time she was a sunset, she immediately thought of Vegeta. It was as if the two were related. In her mind, sunset equaled Vegeta, and Vegeta equaled her happiness. That meant, the sunset brought her happiness.

Bulma sighed inwardly and smiled. She gave Vegeta's hand a tight squeeze, causing him to look at her. She flashed him a sparkling smile and he wrinkled his eyebrows playfully.

As the sun sank further into the horizon, Bulma felt on top of the world.

A/N : umm… several **important **things here

1. if you're one of those ppl who can't stand anything except a happy ending, then the story ends here for you. Cuz it's not gonna be happy anymore afterwards.

2. um… oh yeah, I'm giving this story a sad ending because then I would be able to write a sequel… which I don't have a title for yet. Its gonna be focused on trunks and pan (you know… the next generation), but this plot will be finished there too… **with** a happy ending.

3. did I confuse you? If I did… just pretend you know what I'm saying and review plz!


	16. ch 13

A/N: I'm sorry guys… long time no update, and this chapter isn't that good. I think I have writers block.

CH13

Bulma considered herself extremely lucky. Two months passed by peacefully with only minor arguments between her and Vegeta. By this time, she felt sure her relationship with Vegeta would be long lasting. After all, she was perfect in his eyes. Nothing would make him want to leave her, right?

As smart as Bulma was, she was still human. And humans tend to forget things. Bulma, for example, forgot a very, very important thing. Vegeta didn't want kids.

Bulma was woken early one morning by an uneasy stomach. She had scrambled out of bed and rushed to the restroom, not bothering to dress. Once she neared the toilet, Bulma had thrown up repeatedly, clutching her shaking arms.

The gurgling water sounds of the flushing toilet woke Vegeta and he hurried to the restroom to find Bulma's thin, naked frame crouched over the toilet. She turned to him with teary eyes and he immediately hugged her to his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding slightly worried.

"It- it's nothing", Bulma felt reluctant to say anymore for she knew she was pregnant. "Just go back to bed. It was something I ate", she lied.

Vegeta gave her another worried look, then headed back to the bed. Bulma remained in the restroom, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror. She pushed her hairbackand splashed cool water on her face. The salty tears slipping out of her eyes blended with the light water droplets, but it was obvious Bulma was crying.

She was pregnant. Normally, she would be overjoyed at having a child, but she knew Vegeta didn't want kids.

_SHIT. What am I supposed to do?_ She wondered. Panic swept over her and she leaned against the sink for support. She wanted her child. She wanted her child! But, would Vegeta leave her?

Vegeta was worth more than her child. She chose Vegeta. Bulma decided she would simply get an abortion. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared to face Vegeta.

Vegeta sat uncomfortably on the lumpy mattress, standing impatiently at the bathroom door. How could she lie to him? It was so obvious she was pregnant. Why else would she throw up in the morning?

But, he didn't want a brat. He couldn't stand the thought of that. Sure, he liked kids. Or at least he could tolerate them, but to have his own? He knew he'd get too attached, which meant he'd get hurt if something happened to them.

Vegeta rubbed his head and sighed angrily. He had to get away. Now. He needed time to think. He needed to be alone to sort things out in his head. Without a second thought, he tore out of the room, slamming the door behind him just as Bulma walked out of the restroom.

She saw the door close and knew immediately that Vegeta wouldn't be back for a while. She knew he knew. They both knew. Bulma flung herself onto the bed and cried silently. He had worked so hard to prepare herself to tell Vegeta. She'd even decided to have an abortion, but he'd left her.

He'd walk out on her, no, ran out, just like that.

Why does shit like this happen to me? Bulma thought angrily, tears pouring down her face. She could literally fell her head shattering, and the pain was unbearable.

She grabbed her pillow and threw it across the room. A soft thud could be heard as the pillow rammed into the wall and fell limply to the floor. She then picked up the pillow Vegeta had been using and squeezed it tightly, burying her face into the fluffy material. His scent was scattered lightly over the pillow and this upset Bulma even more. She cried and cried until there were no tears left. She had cried until her body felt extremely exhausted. Letting out a ragged sigh, Bulma lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

Her mind had been fully of angry and sad thought, but now it was simply angry. She didn't even know what to think anymore.

The doorbell interrupted the lonely silence and Bulma scrambled out of bed. She threw on the nearest night gown and rushed down the stairs, a small bit of hope blossoming in her heart. It had to be Vegeta! She knew it had to be. He probably realized that he shouldn't have left and he was coming back to apologize.

Convinced that it was Vegeta at the door, Bulma quickly undid the locks and flung open the door. What was left of her already broken heart fell into even smaller pieces. How could she believe for one moment that Vegeta would return? It wasn't like him to admit his faults. After all, he was a selfish, rude, arrogant jerk. And heartless, thought Bulma, definitely heartless.

Instead of the lover she'd hoped to see, Yamcha was standing nervously at the door. His expression turned immediately from scared to shocked as the wooden doors opened to reveal a side of Bulma he'd never seen before.

Her eyes, which were one a deep sparkling blue, now looked almost white for there were silver tears rolling down her cheeks. Her hair was disheveled, pooling down her back in messy waves. She looked pale and worn out; her usual glow had disappeared. Her lips, which were normally a watery pink, were now dry and trembling slightly.

"Bulma! What happened?" Yamcha asked, immediately thinking of Vegeta. He expected the girl to burst out crying, yelling reasons as the why Vegeta was such a jerk. After all, he **had** known Bulma for a really long time.

What shocked him even more was the instead of her usual outburst, Bulma simply allowed him to step into the house. She closed the door gently and placed herself on the nearest chair. Not a word escaped her lips, or any sound, for that matter.

Yamcha lowered himself so he saw Bulma eye to eye. He studied her closely, frowning deeply as he did so. Was this really Bulma? She seemed so… different. Where was the loud, noisy girl he'd known? Could it be that she was **so** upset, she didn't even bother making noise?

Yamcha sighed and pulled the girl into a friendly hug, hoping to cheer her up. Bulma made no move to return the motion, butshe didn't push him away either. Her mind was pretty much still blank and she didn't feel anything at the moment.

"Bulma…", Yamcha fell silent and looked away for a moment. He had come that morning to attempt to befriend the girl once more, but with the condition she was in, he decided not to say anything.

Still, he wondered what could make Bulma act this way. "You should go to bed, cuz you look like shit", Yamcha said, hoping to make Bulma smile. She simply stared at him with her cold, teary eyes, then stood and walked weakly up the stairs.

Yamcha remained in the house until Bulma disappeared down the hall, then he left quietly. _What just happened?_ He wondered as he climbed into his car. He had a gut feeling this had to do with Vegeta and he was determined to find out.

Bulma had spent the entire day in her room, mostly on her bed. She'd fallen asleep after Yamcha left, and did not wake up until late afternoon. Feeling dreadfully hungry, she trudged downstairs and heated up a bowl of soup.

While she waited, Bulma sat tiredly in a kitchen chair and stared out the window. _So, it's come to this._ She thought.

Leaning against the back of the chair, Bulma quickly reran the events of the past year over in her mind.

At age 22, right before she'd run into 18 at the café, her life had been dedicated to college and the capsule corp. business.

Then, she'd re-met Vegeta and her whole life changed. She was now physically a year older, but her mind had matured by many years. She saw the world and all the people in it differently, not as an inexperienced, young adult, but as a mature woman and a mother-to-be.

Bulma smiled at these thoughts. She was going to be a mother! She had originally planned to abort the child since Vegeta wouldn't have wanted kids, but, now he was gone. _Which means I'll do what I want_. Bulma thought, her smile widening.

Soon, she had finished eating and headed back to her room. With nothing better to do, Bulma took a shower and went back to bed.

Vegeta rolled down the car window, allowing rushing winds to blow heavily through his messy hair. He had taken off in the morning and headed towards the cabin where he remained throughout the day.

He spent hours upon hours debating on what to do.

Go back to Bulma. Well, he obviously planned to do that. But, what would he say to her? He knew how much she'd want a child, and he couldn't deny her the pleasure of having one. But, Vegeta knew he'd always been stubborn and a bit selfish. So, who would win in the end?

_I'm happy because she's happy, and she'll be happy if she becomes a mother,_ he thought.

Besides, why **didn't** he want a child? Could he really allow stupid fears to control his life? Bulma had been afraid of relationships, but she overcame those fears. He could do it too, then, for she was definitely not better than him.

Convincing himself with these thoughts, Vegeta sped back to Capsule Corp, ready to have a long talk.

Bulma had woken up during the sunset, thought of Vegeta, then cried herself to sleep. For some weird reason, she found it impossible to let go of him. She was buried in the sheets, hugging Vegeta's pillow close to her chest.

This was the sight that met Vegeta's tired eyes as he stepped quietly into the room. He sat down gently on the bed and it shifted under his weight, waking Bulma from her sleep.

Instead of yelling, like Vegeta expected, he received a worse reaction. Complete silence. He fidgeted in the uncomfortable quietness, waiting for her to speak first. He took this time to study her and admitted silently that even with her tangled hair, tear-stained face, and puffy eyes, she was still beautiful.

Then, Bulma's voice, cold and harsh, filled the room.

"Go away", she said slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly.

"I –"

"Vegeta, right now. I. hate. You. I **know** why you don't want children. All **you** want is a fuck buddy. Well, I don't want you. I don't need you, and neither will **my** child. I don't ever want to see you again", Bulma pointed at her door and glared at Vegeta until he walked away reluctantly. He would have felt much, much better if she'd yelled at him, hit him, even jumped on him and attacked him. But, to speak to him so calmly, and in such a cold, hurt voice, tore his heart apart.

He had no choice but to comply, so he left without a fight.

Bulma remained stiff until Vegeta's car disappeared from the driveway and rolled down the street.

"I didn't mean it", she murmured weakly, burying her face in her arms.

Bulma cried away all her tears, then fell asleep once more.

A/N: hm… I liked the ending Bulma did a lot of crying in here, didn't she? Well, would you if you were her? Anyways… please review!


	17. ch 14

Finally updating!

CHAPTER 14

Nine months lasted nine years to Bulma, who had not cracked a single smile in all this time.

She had a blank expression that held no happiness. No happiness as her pregnancy furthered. No happiness when Chichi's son was born. No happiness while Yamcha repeatedly visited her, attempting to revive their friendship. No happiness as all her friends helped search for Vegeta.

Soon, it was time for her own baby's delivery. For one day in a long time, Bulma took her mind off of Vegeta and thought about her child.

She lay tiredly on a bed in the hospital wing of Capsule corp. while nurses and a delivery doctor rushed around her.

By late afternoon, Bulma was propped up against several pillows, holding her baby boy lovingly in her arms. The lavender-haired child stared up at her, cooing gently. For the first time in almost a year, a smile crept onto Bulma's face.

"You should smile more, it shows how beautiful you are", a voice said. Bulma looked up and saw Yamcha entering the room.

"Hey", she replied without emotion. She was in no mood to play nice today. Ever since Vegeta had left, Yamcha had taken advantage while she was still broken hearted. It was true, Yamcha was being extra nice and sickly sweet, but his pathetic attempts to win her heart annoyed Bulma.

Still, she didn't push him away, although she didn't know why. She often wondered if she still liked him, or if she simply needed comfort.

"So, how's the baby?" Yamcha asked, trying to create a polite conversation.

"He's fine", Bulma replied, saying as little as she could

"Uh, well, Bulma. I was thinking – "

"Hey! Are we allowed to come in?" Goku interrupted, poking his head into the room. Bulma nodded quickly, thankful that she didn't have to be alone with Yamcha.

"Let me see him!" Chichi yelled excitedly, hurrying into the room. She was followed by 18 and Krillen. Goku sat beside Bulma's bed, cradling Gohan in his arms. Chichi leaned over his shoulders and looked cautiously at Trunks.

"He looks so adorable!" Chichi squealed.

"Looks a lot like Vege- uh, he has your hair", Krillen sputtered, receiving a glare from 18.

"Don't worry about it", Bulma gave Krillen a reassuring smile.

"What's his name going to be?" Goku asked.

"I've already named him Trunks. He's going to be the perfect little baby. Then, when he grows up, all the girls will be after him", Bulma said dreamily.

Her friends chatted with her until late at nigh. Eventually, everyone went home and Bulma was left alone with baby Trunks. She rested on her bed, watching a nurse clean up the counter.

"Miss, one of your friends is still here. He wishes to speak with you, a second nurse announced from the doorway.

"Who?" Bulma asked, hoping it was Vegeta.

"A young man with dark hair. He's quite good looking", the nurse replied. Bulma felt her heart skip a beat and her breathing became quick and shallow. Could it really be Vegeta?

"Uh, bring him in. But, don't leave, alright?" Bulma asked, not wishing to be alone.

The nurse nodded and left.

A moment later, Bulma was sitting in her bed, looking disappointedly across the room at Yamcha who was sitting between two nurses. All three of them looked awfully nervous.

"Uh, could- could we be alone, please?" Yamcha asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"No", Bulma stated.

"Uh- we- uh- still need to monitor her", the first nurse added, and the second nurse nodded in agreement.

"I'll- come back later, then"

For two weeks, Bulma played a game of avoiding Yamcha. She knew he was still trying to patch things up. Goku had warned her that Yamcha wanted to marry her, and Bulma was terrified at this idea. She began avoiding him completely and always kept someone by her side so she was never alone.

This worked nicely, but all that's good must eventually end. Bulma had spent the afternoon watching TV with Krillen when he received a phone call from 18. He headed home shortly and Bulma went to take a shower.

Yamcha took this chance and waited outside the bathroom door. The water turned off and Bulma emerged, dripping wet, clad in only a towel. She cursed silently when she saw Yamcha and waited for him to speak first.

"Bulma, I really want to talk".

"Couldn't I get dressed first?"

"I- I'll wait outside", Yamcha stammered, quickly leaving the room. Bulma dressed slowly, taking as much time as she could. But, Yamcha was inevitable.

Soon, they were sitting across from each other on the floor in Bulma's room.

"Bulma, I – I want you to have this", Yamcha pulled a ring box out of his pocket and handed it to Bulma. She knew at once that he was indirectly proposing, and she did **not** want to marry him

"Oh- Yamcha, I couldn't take it. You've done so much for me", Bulma played dumb and faked a smile.

"C'mon Bulma, it means I want to marry you", Yamcha explained. Bulma looked at the floor until Yamcha talked again, "I- I think this is about Trunks. Don't worry, I'll treat him like he's mine. Think about it, Bulma. Trunks needs a father".

Bulma looked up at this comment. She hadn't thought about this before. Trunks **did** need a father, and she figured Yamcha was the most logical choice.

"I- I'll marry you", Bulma said. She did this for Trunks, and only Trunks. Why else would she want Yamcha?

"Great", Yamcha smiled, handing her the box. "I'll see you tomorrow then, fiancée".

A/N: yes…. It was kinda short. And I realized I made a **big** mistake in the plot: Gohan and Trunks are the same age. Hmmm… but I can't really fix that… huh?


	18. ch 15

A/N : since the last chapter and this chapter are both sooooo short, I'm posting them both today, yay!

CHAPTER 15

Bulma paced back and forth on her balcony, frustrated and near tears. Tomorrow, she would be bound to Yamcha. Tomorrow, any hope of Vegeta returning would be over.

"Why did I agree? Why? Why?" Bulma sat down tiredly and frowned. There it was, a sunset. Her mind went to Vegeta again, just like it did everyday. She wanted to be with him more than she'd ever wanted to before. She wanted him to be there to hold her, to kiss her, to comfort her, but mostly, to rescue her from Yamcha.

Yamcha had moved into a room in Capsule Corp. a day after the engagement and from that moment on, Bulma's life became hell. She kept herself alive for one reason. Trunks. The beautiful baby boy became Bulma's only source of happiness. (Wow! 5 B's in a row! Lol… ok… sorry) She spent hour after hour in the nursery playing with her child. When he slept, Bulma would watch him calmly, a feeling of sadness overcoming her.

He looked so much like Vegeta, except for the hair. This only reminded Bulma of what her life used to be. Often, the young mother would cry, then pretend to be asleep if Yamcha came in so he couldn't see her tears.

Now that they were going to get married, Bulma knew she couldn't hide anything from Yamcha. Still, she was reluctant to share anything with him. When Yamcha got tired of playing nice, he returned to his high school attitude towards Bulma.

He usually came home after midnight, drunk and smelling like liquor. He would sleep until noon, then wake up and yell at Bulma. He demanded food and company, which Bulma was forced to provide.

After dinner, Yamcha would leave Bulma to clean up and tend to her child. Those few hours each day were Bulma's favorite.

She would quickly do the dishes, then bring Trunks to her balcony where they enjoyed the sunset together.

Bulma had once believed that if she tried, she could get used to this life. Now, all her confidence drained out of her. After she married Yamcha tomorrow, she'd have less time to spend with Trunks. Yamcha would demand more attention and he'd want to sleep in the same bed.

With these horrible thoughts swirling around in her head, Bulma tugged on her hair and cried. She knew these moments would be her last memories of freedom.

A/n: short... short… I'm seriously running out of ideas that sux…. Please review!


	19. ch 16

ATTENTION this is the last chapter of the fanfic... and I have to admit I'm actually kinda glad its over. I was really running outta ideas and stuff and... the ending just seemed really messy to me. But I really liked the first few sentences of this chapter. As you can see, I really favor 18 as a character. Anyways, on several reviews, you guys wanted a happy ending. When I first wrote a summary for the story, it had a happy ending. Then I thought it'd be kinda clichéd, so I made it a sad ending. So… I'm going to write an alternate happy ending and post it as a separate story. Go find it if u like happy endings. Ok… enough rambling! Here's the last chapter!

CH 16

"Miss! Miss! Are you a friend of ms. Briefs? We'd like to ask some - "

"Excuse me, could you tell us what will happen to Capsule Corp after - "

"And here we have it. The marriage ceremony of the single heir to capsule corporation. Ms. Bulma Briefs will soon - "

"Shut up!" 18 shoved away the reporters crowded around Bulma's front door. The angry blonde let herself into the house and slammed the door shut. She hurried up the stairs to find Bulma in her room, standing silently in her wedding dress. Her blue hair was smothered in white flowers and held in elegant curls. The dress hugged her figure tightly, showing off her curves. 18 spotted Chichi dashing around the room, ordering two young girls that Yamcha had hired. They worked hard to prepare Bulma for her wedding.

"You act like it's your funeral day", 18 commented.

"Marrying Yamcha is like going to my funeral", Bulma replied emotionlessly. 18 could see the tear-stained cheeks hidden behind a layer of power and blush. She knew it took a lot for Bulma to cry, and since she cried so often these days, 18 concluded that Yamcha was really as bad as Bulma claimed. But, what could she do? What could Bulma do?

"Are you sure you're going through with this?" Chichi asked. 18 looked up to see Bulma's reaction but the bride-to-be simply nodded. Her face showed no sign of happiness, but her friends could not detect a negative emotion either Bulma had taught herself to shut away all feelings so that the searing pain in her heart turned into nothing more than a dull soreness.

A year without Vegeta; a year without love had hardened Bulma and she promised herself that she would not allow the pain to affect her any longer. She decided she would pretend to be happy for the sake of her child, who was currently sitting on the bed. 18 finally caught sight of the little boy in his tux and smiled weakly. As Bulma left the room, Chichi and 18 trailed after her, each holding one hand of Trunks.

The large lawn outside of Capsule corp. was decked with gleaming white chairs and pink roses. Yamcha stood proudly beside the alter, looking across the yard at Bulma. Her blue hair reflected the sunlight and her eyes sparkled with tears. They weren't tears of happiness, nor were they tears of sadness. Instead, they were tears of regret. A small, fake smile played lightly on Bulma's lips as she looped her arm thru Goku's. They walked down the aisle, ignoring the endless flashes of cameras.

When they neared the alter, Bulma looked at Goku with pleading eyes and he sadly handed her over to Yamcha, who tugged eagerly on his bride's arm.

"We have gathered here today to…" As the pastor droned on and one, Bulma shut out his voice and looked at the crowd out of the corner of her eyes. Everyone seemed so happy, so joyful, so alive.

_It's as if all my happiness went away and everyone here got some of it. _Bulma thought bitterly. She snapped out of her thoughts in time to say, "I do" and slip the ring on Yamcha's finger. He bent forward to give Bulma what she suspected would look like a passionate kiss, but she backed away so that their lips brushed against each other for a fraction of a second. Yamcha noticed this and tightened his grip, giving her a glare. Bulma did her best to ignore him for she knew all the camera's were focused on her.

Almost as if in a trance, Bulma walked close to Yamcha and allowed him to drag her across the yard. She waved to the crowd and faked a smile for the cameras.

Before walking down the driveway to their honeymoon car, Bulma paused to give Trunks a hug.

"Please take care of him", she whispered to Chichi, who had tears in her eyes. The black-haired girl nodded and sniffled a little.

As Bulma was about to get into the car, Goku rushed to her side and secretly slipped her a note while hugging his friend. Bulma gave him quizzical look, but Goku just smiled sadly.

Soon, Bulma had left all her friends behind and was leaving for a week with her new husband. As Yamcha drove, Bulma slipped out the note Goku had given her. After reading the messy handwriting, her heart did a flip, then missed several beats before returning to normal. She reread the note over and over until each word was memorized clearly, "Vegeta was here! He saw the wedding but wouldn't come talk to you. He just wanted me to tell you he still cares. And he saw his son".

Bulma crumpled the note in her hands and glanced at Yamcha, who was checking out a girl on the side walk. She knew she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life, but Bulma was afraid to do anything about it. It was the same fear that had kept her fromm loving Vegeta at first. It was the same fear that chased away the one person she loved. And now, that fear would cause her to live everyday with regret.


	20. rambles

NO STORY HERE; JUST AN ANNOUNCEMENT… BUT PLEASE READ ANYWAYS XD

I just wanted to let people know that I've posted an alternate (happy) ending to this story. That way, happy ending people won't flame me. I put in the sad ending cuz this story isn't over. There's gonna be a sequel, so look for it soon, alrite? That's it… I'll stop rambling. Bye XD


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